In Your Shoes

Following the death of Amy’s mom, she has to move to a new town and live with her uncle, an undertaker, and she deals with her sadness and loneliness by writing a story with a happy ending. Miles is a very anxious boy who has also suffered a loss – his grandmother died – and he now worries about his grandfather and is only truly comfortable at his family’s bowling alley. The two meet following a freak accident and with time – and humour – they become friends. This engaging novel, for grades 5-8, deals with friendship, loss, death, and grief in a respectful and sensitive manner, and is suitable for class novel study, read-aloud, literature circle book, or class library.