Nobody's Fault?

by Patricia Hermes

When a young girl feels crushed with guilt after her brother dies as a result of an accident with a tractor, she is treated by a child psychiatrist who helps her to understand and accept her feelings

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Chapter Books, Childrens

107 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is surprisingly laidback, with an intrinsic sense of realism that makes the tragic events of the narrative hit home very hard.

With a kind, sympathetic hand, Patricia Hermes guides the reader through the events of the tragic death of Emily's brother Matt, whom she calls "Monse", short for "Monster". The ways that this death affects her are profound and surprising, and readers who will allow themselves to be brought along for the ride are plunged into a world of dark but quiet despair, a world in which guilt and sadness and missing the brother she loves lead Emily on a treacherous journey toward a possibility of home and even normality that are too far away to see until she (and the reader) are at the right moment to see it. This story by Patricia Hermes ranks up there among the best books that deal with such subjects, in the company of classics such as Blue Eyes Better by Ruth Wallace-Brodeur and On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer. This is a well-written, beautifully rendered story.

[Sus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was a depressed young teenager, and I still remember what a vivid impact it made upon me. This might sound strange, but its depiction of what the loss of a child can do to a family marked the moment I decided that I would never kill myself; although I was full of grief and loathed myself, I didn't think my family deserved to suffer that much guilt, horror and pain.

So I guess this is a recommendation, of a kind.

[Ostrich Wound · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is the first book I ever read that didn't end happily ever after with everyone alive and well. It's probably also the first book that made me realize I like them better that way. It's messed up a bit, I know, but what can I say? I was in grade 3 or four and I picked this book up off of my teacher's shelf. Needless to say, if was a bit of a wake up call. It opened the door to what fiction could actually be, and usually is.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I owe a huge thanks to one of my library volunteers for helping me track down one of the books I remember reading over and over again as a kid. I could remember so much about the story but not the important stuff like the title and author. I'm happy to say that it was just as good as an adult as when I read it in elementary school.

Wonderful book about loss and grief.

[Anissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in elementary school (I can't recall if this was in my school library or one I found at the local library in the Children's section) and it stayed with me. I had to look up the title today as I was chatting to someone about this book but couldn't recall the title but remembered vividly Monse's harrowing mechanism of death and the aftermath.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

No child should be allowed to read this book! It totally screwed me up for awhile! Perhaps I just read it too young (probably around 8 or 9) but man oh man it was way too much for me.

[Adi Haughton · Rating 5 out of 5]

only book that has made me cry like i was actually done for

[Dacia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book for kids about dealing with greif and guilt. It is also the first chapter book I ever read. Looking back, it makes me wonder a little bit about what on EARTH posessed my mother to recomend THIS book to me as my "first chapter book"... I was in first grade. I would really recomend reading it to you child if they're 7 or under, because the story is very tragic. Lawn Mowers don't kill people very often, and that's a pretty graphic image to get stuck in a kids mind.

*** I first reviewed this 13 years ago when I was still a very young adult with a small son. I realized, today, that I had actually learned exactly the wrong lesson from this book. Instead of learning about the tragedy of accidents and how to move through grief, I went the other way. Not only am I STILL (33 years later) terrified to see anyone other than a full grown adult in a riding mower, but it impacted my life in other ways. I internalized the idea that I had to be incredibly responsible and hyper- vigilant with my own family to make sure nothing like this could happen when I wasn't prepared for it.

[NATUI]

I read this as a kid and have vague memories of the plot. I do remember it was one of the first books that gripped me on such an emotional level. I would love to read it again as an adult.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this 30-ish years ago in a bookmobile that used to stop at an afternoon program I attended at a nearby park during the summer. I always remembered it and it has stuck with me all these years!

[Krista]

This book seriously messed me up as a child!!!!!!!!
I just discovered this is the same author as "My Girl", so it all makes sense now. Man, Patricia must HATE bees!!!! 😭😭😭

[•: shayla :• · Rating 4 out of 5]

A child’s outlook on sibling rivalry, death, and the grieving process.

While the death of a child is never easy to read about, reading about a child grieving her own brother was much harder to read than learning what happened to Monse. Monse was on the lawn mower while no adult was present and in turn, has a freak accident and the mower ran him over. Emily blames herself for weeks because while she was putting a snake in his bed, she wouldn’t have been able to hear him scream for help. Emily sleeps her days away, barely eats, and throws up a lot due to the stress of losing her brother. She questions morality as a whole since she doesn’t understand it much and what it means to die. She finds it unfair and life rather silly after the accident. We watch Emily finally realize she isn’t alone in the feeling of blame for her brother’s death and she learns to adapt to a life that Monse is no longer an active part of. A gut wrenching story I could not help but cry throughout. 4/5 ⭐️

[Maria]

this book messed me up when I first read it. I was like 7 or 8, and I can barely remember the plot, or the names of the characters, or how the book ended, but I can sure as hell remember the things that I imagined as I read it. I can still remember the scene in which the brother died, and I had a pretty good imagination as a kid, so everything was pretty graphic. I also had trouble sleeping (not bc of the book, just generally) and when I was lying in bed, the scenes would repeat in my head over and over and over again. needless to say, I wouldn't recommend this book for a little kid, especially if they get scared easily, like me.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember picking this book out at the library when I was about 10yrs old. I started it that evening and read it straight through that night. It was a gut punch but I couldn’t stop! I then wanted to experience it all over again.

[Kiley Young]

This book traumatized me as a child. Can I consider it exposure therapy to track it down to read again?

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

TikTok made this sound unhinged so I really wasn't prepared for the emotional gut punch

[El · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember crying my face off so hard, I made myself sick.

[Winifred · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time when I was about 8 or 10, I would guess. Maybe younger. I have mentioned it over and over since then, as I can't believe that there is a children's book with the plot line that this one has. I just was about to find it again and confirm that it IS as I remembered it. A girl's brother dies at the start of the book. He was mowing the lawn on a rider mower, mows over a bees nest, gets stung, falls off mower, mower runs him over and kills him. Girl spends the rest of the book in councling trying to come to grips with her brother's death. If I have a dark streak, I blame it on this book. Enjoy!

[Corrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

In elementary school, my teacher assigned the class to complete a book report on a realistic fiction book. So, my mom took me to the library and I grabbed this off the shelf (I liked the title and cover). Years later, I never remembered the title, the author, or the names of the characters, but I also never forgot the plot or the scenes I created in my head when I read it. I don't remember how old I was when I read this, but it was the first realistic fiction book I read and had got me hooked onto the genre. I would love to read this book again; I just hope the plot holds up to my memory.

[Nicole Case · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this when I was around 9yrs old,.it was the type of story where I was able to
imagine myself as the character,especially with her brother.
Many tears I cried and a devastation clouded me as I found myself not realizing
I wasn't the character,my brother wasn't dead,.and it was a story.
At least that's what I assume I went thru other than it had a huge impact on me.
My favorite tear jerk-er still today.

[Najila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me crying more than once. Just the guilt and the anguish the girl puts herself through after the death of her brother. It's so touching and I can't believe Patricia Hermes wrote so well that she could actually make a reader cry.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read this book since I was in elementary (or middle) school so I can't give a thorough review. But I remember reading it several times, and it def made me cry even back then. I think it's a really great book overall.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl blames herself for the accidental death of her brother.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about grieving for young adults or adolescents.

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book that made me forever afraid of lawn mowers.

[Tamara]

I think this is the book I read where the brother dies when he runs a beehive over with a lawn mower. Eek.

[Patricia Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book that started my love of reading, I think in the 5th grade.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was about 11 ~ I have never forgot it.My oldest is going to read it this summer.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a heartbreaking fiction book about a young girl dealing with the death of her little brother. Very good book but have tissue handy when reading it.

[Beth Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book traumatized me. I read it in third or fourth grade. I still don't trust lawn mowers.