Grover

Ellen Grae #3

by Vera Cleaver

A ten-year-old boy adjusts to the changes in his life after his mother dies.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

After her first book, The Nurse's Dilemma (1966), most of her magazine articles and 16 novels for children were written with her husband, Bill.

Together, they produced more than a dozen novels for young adults. Their subject matter reveals a particular interest in mountain children who have both physical and mental problems. The Cleavers were three times nominated for the National Book Award, and their novels made multiple appearances on the American Library Associations list of "Notable Books." Settings often mirror the Cleavers' place of residence.

After Bill's death, Vera Cleaver wrote Sugar Blues (1984) and Sweetly Sings the Donkey (1985).

Reviews

[Sonia Gomes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful book about a young boy and his father dealing with grief after their Mother's death.

But the computer blinked off...

It really was a pity I had liked the book a great deal. Sigh

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grover and his father adjust to life after the death of Grover's mother. Grover lives in a small Southern town and part of the delight of reading this book is the depiction of the slightly-right-of-normal characters who inhabit the town including Grover himself and his friends. It is the feeling of complete truth about every experience Grover faces that I enjoyed most about this story.

Grover is on the list for the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read.

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grover's mother is very sick, but no one will tell him the truth about her. He realizes she is dying though, and is not surprised when she commits suicide rather than let herself become a total invalid. His real problem is coping with his father's reaction. Grover is able to cope quite well because he talks to several sympathetic and intelligent adults and friends.

Could be controversial because of the suicide. Not a really terrific book about death, but fairly adequate.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 2 out of 5]

D. fiction, children's fiction, upper elementary, realistic fiction, death of boy's mother, from stash, discard