A Literature Circle
Unit about family interactions for grade 5
Thirteen-year-old Meg tells the story of the summer of
her fifteen-year-old sister's death. One night Molly awakens covered with blood,
Meg calls their parents, and Molly goes to the hospital where she remains
for weeks, undergoing tests. It takes Meg a long time to let herself
realize how bad it is, even after the magnitude of the illness is visible
on Molly's ravaged body.
Meg develops friendships with an old man and a young
couple expecting a baby. Both contacts help normalize her world, provide
her with "reality checks" and give her a quality of attention her
parents can't manage at the time. Meg and her parents are emotionally reunited
in their loss, and in the final chapter Meg reflects on the paradox of
healing that doesn't cover over loss, but allows life to be good again in
different terms.
