Dead mom books kill me. It's so, so hard for me to read about a motherless child and imagine my own child motherless. I get so, so weepy. So I have to admit I skimmed this because I didn't want to cry too much. I appreciate that Mr. Henkes writes these quiet, slow, contemplative middle grade novels. But I really prefer his picture books.

Still, the writing here is lovely. The characterization rich. The plot is pretty thin and based on magical thinking in what adult readers know to be a realistic setting. So I wasn't truly intrigued by the idea that Amelia's mother could still be alive or that her spirit was visiting her. Kids may be swept up in this possibility and be along for the ride. Of course, the real journey here is Amelia's personal growth and her relationship with her father. All over the course of one week, which felt like summer but was actually spring break.

I'm not sure why Henkes chose to set this in 1999, which *shudder* practically makes it historical fiction. One character has anxiety about Y2K, but otherwise maybe he just wanted to leave technology out of the picture.

I love that Amelia gets a reassuring letter from her friend right when she really needs it. Shades of [b:Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse|825081|Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse|Kevin Henkes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1438200059l/825081._SX50_.jpg|1223344].

You know who I really think should read this book? Distant, withholding parents like Amelia's dad. Too wrapped up in their own sorrow to be present for their kids. Maybe this story would help them see that kids need connection. ( )

Twelve-year-old Amelia's world is pretty small: her mother is dead, her father is emotionally distant, and she relies on the grandmotherly support of their housekeeper, Mrs. O'Brien. It's spring break, and Amelia wishes they could go to Florida (or to France, like her best friend Natalie!), but it appears that she will go no farther than the pottery studio a few blocks away, where she often spends her time losing herself in her art. When Amelia arrives at the studio that week, she meets Casey, the owner's nephew. The two form an immediate friendship -- or is it something more? -- and, on an excursion to a nearby coffee shop, they see a woman who looks surprisingly like Amelia... or, more accurately, like Amelia's mother. When Amelia continues to see the woman around the neighborhood, she starts to wonder: is this woman following Amelia? Does she have a message for her? Is Amelia's mother really dead?

Henkes' trademark writing style is gentle, reassuring, with emotional depth, and that's definitely what you'll find in this book. From the cover and the brevity of the book, I expected it to appeal to a younger audience, but the age of the characters and the first crush element sets it in the middle grade range (ages 9-11, I'd say). That may be why it hasn't gotten a lot of attention at my library. It's also set in the spring of 1999, as there are a couple of references to Y2K. I thought maybe it had been published then, but no, it came out in 2019. I'm not sure why it needed to be set 20 years in the past, as it doesn't have a major impact on the story. All that to say, it's a sweet book, but I understand why it hasn't been flying off the shelf. ( )

A quiet story that touches on divorce, a dead mom, a dad who's starting to date, and new friends. It was not for me, but for a kid looking for a slice of life story it might be a good fit.

A quiet sweet novel about broken families & friendships. ( )

Amelia wanted to spend her spring break in Florida or France but her father, who doesn’t like to travel, won’t do it. Instead her spring break turns out to be more eventful than expected. Amelia meets 12-year-old Casey at the art studio she frequents. During a game of making stories about people they see on the street, they spot a woman who looks like Amelia’s mother, who died of cancer when Amelia was 2 years old. Amelia has no memories of her but her imagination is stirred by the woman she dubs “Epiphany.” Henkes always has the ability to imbue the quiet and mundane with significant meaning. He expresses the full import of vague but insistent feelings of children. ( )