Death is a subject that is getting more attention in books for Junior Readers. Our children are no longer constantly exposed to death. If you had grown up during WWII you knew about death. Someone you knew had probably died. If you grew up during the Korean War or Vietnam war you understood the reality of war. In 1973 the last draft in the U.S. closed, due to the close of the Vietnam war. Since then war is a reality, but the way we address death with children has changed.
I grew up during the beginning of the “Global War on Terrorism”, for lack of better term. Born in 1992, I had a relatively uneventful childhood. None of my neighbors were being shipped overseas. None of my family were being killed in action. My idea of death was of a very limited scope. 9/11 came and went with relatively little change in my world. I didn’t have a great story to tell. We were at recess and were called inside. We all thought it was because there was a squirrel on the powerline. We watched the TV coverage of the two towers going down, but as a fourth grader I didn’t really understand. I grew up and someone I graduated with died in the Middle East. It was sad- but this was my first experience of someone in the military that I knew dying, unlike my grandparents.
I can’t fault myself for not really understanding when 9/11 happened. I was only a fourth grader. But what about the Gen Z? What about our current children? They understand that sometimes people walk into clubs and shoot people because they disagree with their lifestyles. They understand that sometimes people bomb churches and mosques because they disagree with their belief system. And we, as rational people of sanity, understand that this is not okay.
We want to shelter children. We want them to have the idyllic childhood we all dream of. Let’s not talk about bad things. Let’s not show pictures of the Holocaust. Let’s not talk about the reality of slavery. It might make children sad. I understand this sentiment but is it really helping? There are still mass shootings and bombings. Have we really helped our children?
Fantastical realism gives kids a way to process through complex emotions and situations in a safe setting. In the Harry Potter series we see a main character that is neglected, abused, malnourished, given too much responsibility, and fights in a war. All of these things would be hard to deal with. By putting it in a world with magic, it puts these events at a safe distance for the reader.
I have seen an interesting uptick in the frequency that Middle School and Junior books are dealing with death. They aren’t just mentioning it, but they are actually having their characters process death. The characters are giving kids a frame of reference when things go wrong in their own lives.
Here are a few of my favorite books right now that are dealing with death. They all have hard situations and they all look at death differently, but consider this a small resource of books to help a child you may know that is experiencing the death of a loved one.
When Friendship Followed me Home by Paul Griffin. The main character in this book deals with loss of his adoptive mother and with the loss of a friend to cancer. This weird girl that he meets at the library decides they are going to be friends and our main character is swept into a crazy world of fathers who are magicians and mothers who are librarians and friends who seem to have secrets about them getting sick. He finds a new family but he also genuinely processes death. He also learns that it’s okay to not be okay when we lose someone.
Prisoner of War by Michael Spradlin. Set during WWII, Henry has lied about his age to join the military and escape his abusive father. The day he is found out is the day the enemy begins to attack. He is captured by the Japanese and placed in a POW camp. With disregard for the Geneva Convention and friends dying often, can Henry find the willpower to survive? This shows the reality of war without being too graphic for younger readers.
House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson. Marinka is going to be a Yaga. She is destined for it. Her grandmother is always saying so. Just because her grandmother guides the dead to their rest doesn’t mean that’s what Markina dreams of doing. She wants real friends. She wants to be friends with humans that she will know longer than just a night before they pass over but one well-meaning mistake could take her grandmother away forever and then where will Markina be? This book focuses on the Russian folklore aspect of a Yaga and shows how death can be a peaceful thing for many people who have lived a good life.
The House in Poplar Woods by K.E. Ormsbee. Two twins live in a divided house. Their mother serves the Shade of Memory and their father serves the Shade of Death. Can these two determined brothers break the agreement that keeps their parent’s forever separated or will Death continue to win and rule the day? This book looks at the idea of someone else being in control of who dies when. A different idea of death but it does show the belief system of some people. It is ultimately a book of hope.
So here are a few options for you. I hope they are resources for you and that you also evaluate how you interact with our youth when it comes to death.
Keep Sparkling!
-B
The Sparkling Librarian 