Annie Richards knows there are a million things to look out for—bicycle accidents, food poisoning, chicken pox, smallpox, typhoid fever, runaway zoo animals, and poison oak. Everyone keeps telling Annie not to worry so much, that she's just fine. But they thought her brother, Jared, was just fine too, and Jared died. It takes a new neighbor, who looks as plain as a box of toothpicks but has some surprising secrets of her own, to help Annie close her umbrella of sadness and step back into the sunshine.
state lists!
Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Award
Rhode Island Children's Book Award
Texas Bluebonnet Master List
Texas Children's Crown Award
Texas Horned Toad Tales Master List
Florida Sunshine State Readers Award
Iowa Children's Choice Award
Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Master List
New Hampshire Great Stone Face Master List
Oklahoma Children's Sequoyah Master List
praise!
The Horn Book
“Expect tears, but also expect to cheer for Annie's recovery as she gradually learns to honor Jared's life and care for her own.”
School Library Journal
“Graff has created a lively, quirky individual who tells her story with frankness and humor . . . Annie's story deals with death with sensitivity, love, and understanding.”
KidsRead.com
“Heartwarming . . . [Graff's] characters are colorful and distinct, especially Annie, whose intelligence, deeply felt emotions, and troubled spirit dive right into the reader's heart. Keep an eye on Graff; she has a real gift for the kind of storytelling that will bond readers to a lifetime of reading.”
Winston Salem-Journal
“This poignant book is both funny and sad . . . One of our favorites thus far in 2009.”
The Buffalo News
“This is a book that stays with you.”
buy the book!
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