book review: The Naming of Tishkin Silk

The naming of Tishkin Silk by Glenda Millard is another tear-jerker. In Griffin's family everything has been turned upside down by grief. Griffin has to attend school for the first time because his mother, who has home-schooled him thus far, has not come home after the birth of his little sister. It is not a happy experience for him, but he meets a friend, Layla, while investigating the ditchwater on the way home. This is such a sad story, but a happy one too. Layla helps Griffin to understand what is happening to the family and they work out a way to celebrate Tishkin and move on through the grieving process. This would be a good book for kids who have experienced loss to read, and I would recommend it for ages 11 up.

I have also read Glenda Millard's A small free kiss in the dark. This was much darker, kind of like Cormac McCarthy's The road  for children. It made me think of how little we need to survive, and how much hope plays a part in keeping us alive. It was about how people who have nothing left at all can overcome the bleakest of situations if they team up and love each other. I especially liked the part in this book where the children take refuge in the state library...can you think of a better place to shelter? I really don't like reading post-apocalyptic fiction, or even stories set in war-ravaged countries. I think I overdosed on them as a teenager. A small free kiss was wonderfully written, but because of its harrowing subject matter should really only be read by older teenagers.