Although the rest of his family seems to have adjusted to Gram's death, ten-year-old Spoon continues to grieve quietly two months later. His fear that he will begin to forget his grandmother becomes almost an obsession with him as he searches for the perfect memento, something private that will always remind him of her. He thinks he has found just the right thing when he takes her favorite deck of playing cards from the bottom drawer in her dining room cabinet, the one with a picture of a sun on the back of each card. And, at first, things seem perfect: sleeping with the deck under his pillow inspires dreams of Gram and sharpens his memory. But when his grandfather announces that the deck is missing, Spoon is filled with remorse and worry. Kevin 's eloquently spare novel shows his deep understanding of the inner life of the child, which comes through in his outstanding characterization of the main character. Spoon is both moody and thoughtful, a middle child who sees himself as nobody's favorite since his grandma died. He is learning how to cope after having lost his place in the sun. enriches the narrative with subtle imagery relating to sunlight and shadow, changes in weather and in emotions, and the natural growth that results from it all. (Ages 9-12)

It had been only two months since Spoon Gilmore's grandmother died, but already he was worried that he would forget her. That's why he needed something of Gram's - something special that had belonged to her, something to remember her by.

Spoon wasn't quite sure what the something was, though he knew he would know it when he saw it. But Spoon's little sister, Joanie, did not leave him much time to look. She was always following him, demanding attention. Spoon didn't have the time he needed to think, or perhaps he wouldn't have done what he did.

02 Nutmeg State Children's Book Award Masterlist and 00-01 Young Reader's Choice Award Program Masterlist