Posthumous

In a bittersweet story about honoring a loved one’s memory, 12-year-old Ellie has returned to the United States with her father after living in Paris. They are both adjusting to a new reality without Ellie’s mother, who died of cancer in France. Ellie knows that there is much of her brave, vivacious mother to be found in the children’s stories she left behind—and that bringing her mother’s writing into the world will provide solace. But Ellie is unable to guess the password that will allow access to her mother’s computer—a password that her mother seems to have changed shortly before her death. Aertker’s narrative transitions between the present day and the family’s time in Paris, including Ellie’s mother’s diagnosis, treatments, and death. Through the expansive, well-conveyed flashbacks, Ellie reflects on her family’s painful ordeal and her vividly portrayed mother’s eternal optimism in the face of her illness. While there are tear-jerking moments, Aertker’s novel doesn’t dwell on the family’s sense of loss, instead focusing on Ellie’s crystallized recollections and life’s steady drumbeat forward. Ages 9–12. [em](BookLife) [/em]