Children's Books and Family History: All the Blues in the Sky & Puggleton Park
On Sage's thirteenth birthday, her best friend is struck and killed by a drunk driver while walking to Sage's house. In an instant, Sage's world is forever changed. Alongside her grief, she carries an overwhelming sense of guilt, wondering if things might have been different had she not insisted her best friend spend the entire day with her. All the Blues in the Sky is not a story about getting over loss. Instead, it is a story about learning to move forward with grief. It explores the reality that loss does not simply disappear with time. Rather, grief becomes a companion that can show up unexpectedly—in a memory, a place, a song, or an ordinary moment—and must be carried alongside the joys and challenges of everyday life. One of my favorite moments in the book occurs when Sage tells her aunt that she misses her best friend all the time. Her aunt's response is both beautiful and honest: "You always will... You will miss her everyday of your life. Sometimes, the ...