Lolo’s Light

by Liz Garton Scanlon

For readers who love The Thing About Jellyfish and Counting By 7s, Lolo's Light is a deeply honest middle grade novel about grief, redemption, and life as a kid facing both.

This is a truth about growing up: Once in your life, sometime after your first memory but before you can drive a car, something is going to happen to you that doesn't happen to anyone else you know. It might be something good. It might be something bad, or special, or funny, or shocking. For Millie, it's something really sad. Lolo, her neighbors' infant daughter, dies unexpectedly, suddenly, inexplicably, on the night Millie babysits.

It's not Millie's fault. There's nothing she could have done. And there's nothing she can do now.

So how does she go on?

She does what you'll do. She finds her way.

This poignant and profound coming-of-age story portrays a tragic experience of responsibility and its poisonous flip side: guilt. Emotional and important, this is an honest and empathetic portrait of a girl at her most vulnerable—a mess of grief, love, and ultimately, acceptance—who must reckon with those most difficult of demons: death . . . and life.

A GREAT WAY TO UNDERSTAND DIFFICULT FEELINGS: Coming to terms with one's responsibility for things both our fault and not is a universal experience that can be difficult to process, particularly when grief is involved. Millie offers a great blueprint for young readers who don't understand the surrounding emotions and need help working through them.

A MAIN CHARACTER KIDS WILL LOVE: Millie makes mistakes as she navigates grief. It's often not pretty, but it is very relatable. The author's honest portrayal of this experience will resonate with young readers, whether grieving or not.

Perfect for:

Middle grade readers
Educators and librarians
Parents looking for books on loss or grief

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Grief, Family, Fiction, Mental Health, Friendship

232 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2022

About the author

Liz Garton Scanlon is the author of numerous beloved books for young people, including the highly-acclaimed, Caldecott-honored picture book All the World, illustrated by Marla Frazee, two novels for middle grade readers, and an upcoming chapter book series. Her many other picture books include the ones she's co-authored with Audrey Vernick, like Bob, Not Bob and World's Best Class Plant. Ms. Scanlon is also a poet, a teacher and a frequent & popular presenter at schools, libraries and conferences. She serves on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Austin, Texas.

Reviews

[Willa Scanlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lizzie at it again! Cried for a good majority of this book. So raw in a lot of ways and honestly depicts the grieving process.

[Laura Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sobbed through the last five pages. Beautifully written depiction of grieving.

[Mary Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Kathi Appelt's front cover blurb says, "My heart will never be the same again."

[Marlene Bentsen (Boggrippen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Læseeksemplar lånt fra mit arbejde)

Jeg er egentlig holdt op med at læse børnebøger, men jeg stødte på Lolos Lys en dag, da jeg ryddede op i børneafdelingen på arbejdet og jeg vidste bare, at her var en helt særlig bog.

Lolos Lys er en historie om dødsfald og sorg og så er den skrevet til børn (13+).

Jeg blev utrolig nysgerrig på, hvordan de her emner blev formidlet og jeg må sige, at den amerikanske forfatter Liz Garton Scanlon har ramt hovedet på sømmet med den her.

Den 13-årige spasmager Millie skal en aften, for første gang, passe naboens 4 måneder gamle baby. Millie er spændt og stolt af at blive betroet så stor en opgave og det går også ganske fint.

Dagen efter får Millie at vide, at babyen på tragisk vis har lidt vuggedøden i løbet af natten og hun katapulterer ned i et stort mørkt hul af sorg, skyld og skam. Der var intet Millie kunne have gjort, men har man bare en smule empati, er det utrolig nemt at sætte sig i hendes sted.

Lolos Lys handler rigtig meget om den sorg og lange helingsproces man gennemgår efter en traumatisk begivenhed. Vi reagerer alle forskelligt, men man vil kunne nikke genkendende til mange, hvis ikke alle Millies følelser og tanker gennem bogen.

Historien er utrolig rørende og hjertevarm til trods for det mørke emne. Sorg er en svær svær følelse, som vi alle oplever gennem livet og måske kan bogen her hjælpe lidt på vej.

Den sætter i hvert fald tankerne lidt i gang og det er en virkelig interessant og god bog at læse - også som pårørende til én med et traume.

Nu er Lolos Lys en børnebog og det bærer den selvfølgelig også præg af.
Men både barn som voksen vil få noget ud af at læse den her❤️

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Lolo is an infant who Millie babysits one night and then Millie learns the next day that Lolo has died (from SIDS). This is a powerful story of grief’s aftermath and how that trauma impacts Millie in the subsequent weeks and months. It is honest, yet hopeful.

[Melisande · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://accrocdeslivres.blogspot.com/...

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! The summer before Millie begins 7th grade is going really well. She’s spent hours with her best friend, Sam, gone to Comedy Camp and walked her dogs more miles than she can count. She’s gotten used to the fact that her dad is no longer living at their suburban Chicago house with her mom and two sisters, but instead sharing a fancy apartment in the city with his new girlfriend. And to top it off, she’s thrilled when a neighbor asks her to babysit, instead of her older sister Tess who’s busy with her piano recital. This family has the cutest, happiest baby ever, Lolo. On the big night, Lolo’s parents put her to bed, leaving Millie to watch TV and check on Lolo every once in a while. Each time she goes into her room, Lolo is snuggled down in her yellow bird pajamas and sleeping peacefully. But the next day, Millie’s family learns the most awful thing has happened. Sometime during the night, with no explanation, Lolo died. And then suddenly Millie’s life is “...and everything after”.

This MG story will break your heart, but also give you joy. It’s a story about grief, but it’s also about the light of the love and support of those around you who help you survive. It’s a story about friendship, family, caring teachers and counselors who are there for Millie even though she pushes them away. It’s a story that helps us understand the steps of grief and how one can survive with time and care. It’s a story you won’t forget. It’s one you can hand to a grieving middle grader to help them understand what they’re feeling is normal. It’s also one to hand to someone who simply likes a great story.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well you certainly won't find many books with this topic in them, especially for a middle grade audience! So points for a story that is real but also never discussed-- a baby's death likely due to SIDS and the girl who was *just* babysitting for the first time the night before who grieves in a way that feels insurmountable. Especially because now they have a new project at school that includes hatching chicks, but we know that not all become chicks.

Focused on the aftermath, Millie questions life and death and the trajectory of things that are happening around her that are made more significant by this death. Her parents own divorce. The harshness of her sister's words. The pain she sees in the eyes of her neighbors whose infant daughter died in her sleep.

The absence of a lot of story is directly associated with the impact it has for readers, allowing everyone to connect with their own thoughts on grief and grieving.

"Mom laughed and looked like she was about to answer, when Millie blurted out, "Why does everything always have to be about death? Could they assign a book about superheroes? Or birthday parties? Or something? No. No, they can't. It's like, here, hatch some chicks- unless they die! Here, read a book about... I know... dying! By the time I'm in high school, it'll be the prom theme. Dying to Dance or something. Can they never, ever give us a break?""

"'The thing is, Millie, we do our best, but we aren't gods or magicians. We're humans.' Ms. Fritz wasn't looking at the eggs anymore; she was looking straight at Millie, straight into her nearly overflowing eyes."

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[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liz Scanlon’s latest work is not for a middle grader who is looking for idle entertainment. “Lolo’s Light” focuses on the serious themes of grief, guilt and loss, following 12 year old Millie in the week’s after a baby in her care dies from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Regardless of the fact that she was not to blame, Millie is thrust into a black hole of grief that affects every aspect of her life, changing into a mere shell of herself who becomes hyper-vigilant in some areas and certainly withdrawing from close friends and family. Teachers, family, counselors, and even the parents of little Lolo do all that they can to help her and possibly those who read this may gain greater understanding of what grief can do to a person and develop some empathy for others. Scanlon is gentle in her writing but this is not a book that I would put into the hands of anyone who has experienced loss recently. Main characters Millie, her cousin/best friend Sam, sister Tess, teacher Ms Fritz are all well-fleshed out and different enough to keep the cast interesting. Difficulties of children dealing with divorce-related are also a part of the plot. Text is free of profanity, sexual content, violence. Highly recommended for readers grades 5-7.

[Gloria Amescua · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Millie is given her first opportunity to babysit her neighbor’s baby girl, Lolo tragically dies from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Millie feels responsible despite everyone’s assurances that it was not her fault. She distances herself from family and friends becoming even to herself just a fragile shell. Her only comfort is the light that she sees shining from Lolo’s room and she begins to feel that somehow Lolo is still here and part of the earth. The science project at school incubating eggs which she had looked forward to becomes filled with possibilities of failure and death of the embryos. Millie is at her most vulnerable throughout her journey of sadness, regret, and guilt and finally acceptance of the cycle of life and death. The reader experiences the darkness and light through Millie’s inner emotional states. The narrative shows the internal turmoil and the external expression of Millie’s feeling of guilt, regret and sadness. It also shows how she withdraws from and finally accepts her friends’ and family’s support and love. I cried throughout this book in seeing how Millie retreated and finally seeing hope of her understanding her feelings.

[Ampersand Inc. · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOLO'S LIGHT by Liz Garton Scanlon very sensitively handles grief/loss/mental health/family/friendship. Evocatively written middle grade novel about a girl who struggles with feelings of guilt after a neighbour's infant daughter dies suddenly. (She had been babysitting for them the evening that it happened.) Excellent depictions of modern family life (Millie is an aspiring comedian; she's one of 3 sisters who aggravate but love each other; their parents are divorced and the girls are not so keen on Dad's new 'fancy' life and girlfriend) as well as school/classrooom dynamics and friendships. As she suffers anxiety and depression Millie alienates herself from her best friend and family. Things come around and there is a 'happy' ending, but it very realistically depicts mental health struggles and the ways to recover and encourages leaning on your community of teachers, friends, parents and even counsellors to help you get through difficult times. LGS is known mainly for her picture books, but this novel deserves some notice and I think it could get award nominations.

[Katie Reilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review based on an advanced reader’s copy.

Millie’s older sister Tess is their neighbor Lolo’s usual babysitter. But on the night Tess is unavailable, Millie (12 years old and excited to show she’s responsible enough) fills in. It’s an easy job, as Lolo’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Acosta, put the baby down to sleep before they leave. All Millie has to do is be there, keeping the house company.

Only it isn’t. When Millie checks on Lolo before the Acostas return, Lolo is sleeping peacefully, her little chest rising and falling with each breath. When Millie wakes up the next morning, she’s met with the news that Lolo died in her sleep (from SIDS).

This heart wrenching middle grade story follows Millie as she encounters responsibility, trauma, guilt, grief, love and acceptance.

As part of the storyline, readers will learn about bioluminescence through Millie’s search to understand Lolo’s light.

Publishing in October 2022.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Millie is heading into 7th grade. She loved the comedy class she took over the summer, and enjoys hanging out with her friend Max. She is the middle sister, but gets a chance to babysit for her neighbors when her older sister is busy. Lolo is a sweet baby, and her parents put her to bed before they leave, so Millie's job is easy. That's why it's so hard for Millie to understand when she finds out the next day that Lolo has died during the night.
The rest of the book focuses on Millie and how she deals with Lolo's death. She sees a light coming from Lolo's bedroom and feels like Lolo's essence is still with her. She is managing, but when her science class has a huge chick incubation project, Millie has a difficult time working with her group members and thinking through the life and death consequences.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a gorgeous book. Scanlon somehow manages to write a book that is both delicate and frank, gentle and funny about the experience of a 7th grader after the infant she babysat for one night dies of SIDS. Although the girl isn't held responsible in any way, she feels sad and guilty, and Scanlon explores that, plus the reactions of her friends, family, and neighbors, really beautifully.

Here are two examples of her lovely writing:

And sure enough, the cafeteria flew to life, like a flock of birds all take off at once, with one wild, feathering scream.

Millie walked into school carefully, newly aware of just how many people were keeping an eye on her. Her goal for the day was to go nowhere near anyone, which is hard when the whole point of school is to pack 25 kids into every little fluorescently lit space available.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

When 12yo Millie’s high school aged sister has a piano recital and can’t tend the neighbor’s 4 month old baby, the Acosta’s ask Millie. Millie is a responsible older sister, and loves baby Lolo. Everyone does, she is so cute and sweet. The Acosta’s put Lolo to bed before they go, and Millie checks on her, and everything is fine when the Acosta’s return, but sometime in the night Lolo stops breathing and by morning she has passed away. Millie is beside herself with grief, and feels responsible. It only gets worse when her science teacher assigns the students to incubate a clutch of eggs.

I cried, for both the Acosta family as well as for Millie. A well written, heartbreaking story about grief and loss. The culture or race of the main characters was not evident.

Cross posted to http://kissthebook.blogspot.com

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is a beautifully written book, I found the depression of the main character,a 12 yo girl, to be, well, depressing. There was such a sharp break from the funny, outgoing Millie to the deeply (and I emphasize deeply) depressed Millie, I felt the author was pulling my emotional strings instead of presenting a true study of grief. Everyone experiences grief in their own way, of course, but this story was not just sad, it was disheartening. Not a single adult in the story could break through Millie’s darkness, even for a moment, and I find that particularly sad. The ending was positive but, for me, not positive enough for middle grade readers, the presumed audience. If you want a good read about a child’s journey through grief, check out The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart.

[Meg Reads Lots of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly cried a lot while reading this book. Young kids who have dealt with tough topics like death in their own lives will relate heavily to this book. The author really did an incredible job of exploring these sensitive themes and making them age appropriate. I would lend this book to students in upper middle grades and lower high school grades with care.

The main character Millie grapples with the loss of the infant she was babysitting. SIDS can be hard to understand and Millie places a lot of blame on herself. This story shows her journey with understanding death and overcoming her grief. Finding the way back to yourself is not easy!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful exploration of grief and the way it manifests for a child in middle school. Liz Garton Scanlon manages to immerse the reader in Millie's grief after an infant she babysits dies overnight. Scanlon captured the difficulty of trying to care for someone who has experienced a terrible loss and the uncertainty of when/how to navigate back to "normal." I especially appreciated the way the adults in the novel were not immediately able to solve the problem of Millie's grief. She was surrounded by caring adults that were absolutely doing their best to help her, but they were also at a loss for how to support her sometimes. Lolo's Light is ultimately hopeful despite the difficult subject matter.

[Carli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger: infant loss
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Holy jeez, talk about SAD. This book punched me right in the heart from the beginning, as middle schooler Millie takes her first babysitting job for a family down the street from her house. Their baby Lolo is so sweet, and her parents put her to bed before they left for the evening. Millie checked on her once, and when the parents arrived home they discovered that Lolo had died in her sleep. Millie feels responsible, even though SIDS isn’t anyone’s fault. As she struggles with her guilt and mourns Lolo, she sees a light coming from their home. She thinks maybe Lolo isn’t gone after all. Heavy, but the topic of loss and grief is handled with care and sensitivity.

[Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Millie is a 12-year old girl, who is asked to babysit the neighbor's baby daughter, but Lolo dies from SIDs during the night. Millie then must navigate her numbnest and anger that is masking her grief that is affecting her relationships and how she is functioning at school especially around an egg hatching experiment at school. Millie is surrounded by supportive parents, teachers, and a therapist. Millie believes she is doing okay when everyone else knows she's is not. But they walk with her until she is ready to acknowledge her grief and can move forward. Though this is a well constructed and honest look at childhood grief the example is a rare cause of grief that most middle grade readers will not experience, so it may be difficult for some readers to relate to.

[Bonnie Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

“This is a truth about growing up. Once in your life, sometime after your first memory, but before you can drive a car, something is going to happen to you that doesn’t happen to anyone else you know. It might be something good. It might be something bad, or special, or funny or shocking. For Millie, it’s something really sad. Lolo her neighbors’ infant daughter, dies inexplicably on the night Millie babysits.”

This is a coming-of-age- story that portrays a tragic experience of responsibility and guilt. “Millie did not want to sign or feel or express or understand, because if she did, it would mean that this thing that couldn’t possibly be real, was.”

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really sweet book that touched me. About loss and grief and love and family and friendships. It’s a sweet sweet story that left me teary at the end. Loss, not matter what kind, and even indirectly can be confusing and sad no matter the age. People can push away the people that care the most about them when they are trying to figure things out. Millie did that in this book for a variety of reasons. I feel like there were two losses in this book that Millie was dealing with and she was working on handling both. It’s geared toward probably 12-13 year old but I really enjoyed it as an adult.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the neighbors' infant daughter Lolo dies unexpectedly the night Millie is babysitting, the tragedy pulls Millie into a dark place emotionally. Even though she's not responsible, she feels guilty and worries about what could go wrong with the chicks her science class is incubating. Ultimately, she learns to navigate these complicated feelings and accept what is out of her control. A beautiful book about coming of age and coping with grief. (I listened to the audiobook, which was wonderfully narrated by Laura Knight Keating.)

[Colleen Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: Millie finally gets to babysit for the sweetest baby and the best family - I mean they have it all together unlike her divorced parents. Unfortunately, on that summer night when Millie watches Lolo, she passes away. As the school year begins, Millie struggles with her grief and trying to make sense of it all.

Thoughts on Book: Liz Scanlon digs in deep with Millie's grief and ensuing depression. As someone myself who has lived in depressive states, I think she accurately portrayed the feelings, thoughts, wishes and wants through Millie in a beautifully poetic way. You find yourself alongside Millie in her every thought and feeling, wishing and wanting the understanding she's searching for.

Favorite Quote: " 'You can give yourself a break. You've got to give yourself a break. You're going above and beyond the call of duty just by being here, but whatever's going to happen will happen in the end.'
Millie didn't want that to be true. She started to say so, but her eyes felt full and she did not want to cry in front of her teacher, so she just stood there, nodding as if she understood or agreed." P. 172-173

[Lizzie Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this impeccably written book. I'll never forget it. Liz Garton Scanlon is a magical writer who brings us (seemingly effortlessly) into the mind and heart of a 7th grader in ways I just can't believe.
This book addresses grief in a raw, real, beautiful, and hopeful manner. I CANNOT say enough good things. I know this book will be a friend to so many people who go through grief.

[Karly · Rating 5 out of 5]

(My edition is an ARC.) I highly recommend this beautifully powerful story! Scanlon’s depiction of grief through young Millie’s experience brought me to tears multiple times. As someone who has had multiple family deaths throughout my childhood, this story does a wonderful job of validating that the grief experience does intensely impact children and can often be a long, difficult process. Thank you Liz Garton Scanlon for sharing this beautiful story with the world. ☀️🐣❤️

[Laura Salas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a beautiful book of life and grief and hope. I so wanted to reach out and hug Millie, who is so vulnerable and so shaken by the death of an infant she's babysitting. And even though Millie's journey starts out with a terrible event, the author portrays it in such a gentle, respectful way. It feels like the whole book is a hug from author to reader, to anyone who's every felt loss and not known how to move forward. Highly recommend!

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - This is a very well-written story, but just a big downer. Yes, it is a great book for seeing how someone works their way through grief. However, it gets difficult to read after awhile. You see this young girl go through something traumatic and all the thoughts going through her head to handle the trauma. It was exhausting. I do think some middle grade students would be into this, but not many.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio version.
Devastating.
This book is about the death of a baby. It's about the middle-school babysitter who was there that night. It's about dealing with death and processing it at all ages. It's about grief and loss and moving through those processes to figure out how to go on. Anyone who has experienced a loss will relate to this book. It is beautiful and heartbreaking, just like love and life.