Speaking of divorce…
Part of the reason I’m interested in hearing divorce stories right now is that I’ve been reading a few. We’ve got a nice crop of books (besides mine) coming out this fall that revolve around (or near, or apart from) separated families. I’ve been working my way (delightedly so far) through them.
I’m not sure if this happens every year, or if I’m just overly watchful for such things right now because of Bread Box, but I find it interesting to read these books, and think about how each author describes the experience of divorce or separation differently. Some people work the family issues into other plotlines. Some set the divorce in the background. In several cases, the separation gets wrapped up in a magical adventure. But none of them are what you might call an “issue book.” And all are pretty different from one another.
Just in case people weren’t aware, I thought I’d post the books here (above, duh). Once I’ve read them all I plan to write something about this. If you have thoughts on these books, or divorce in Kidlit, generally, I’d love to hear from you. If you know of other new books on the topic, please share! I really hope that someday I can sit down with these authors (full disclosure, several of them are friends) and talk about this.
If only we could do it as a “panel” somewhere. Hmmmm…
September 18th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
Just finished reading (and having my mind blown by) THE END OF EVERYTHING (classified in my library as YA) – the narrator has divorced parents/absent father and this is integral to her journey…..a very interesting book – has me still pondering….
September 19th, 2011 at 8:36 am
Also YA, but I really connected with Arlaina Tibensky’s AND THEN THINGS FALL APART. I’d love to sit in on that panel as well – I’d also love to sit in on a panel of kid readers and find out what elements connect & resonate with them and their experiences.