OLA’S WAKE

Inspired by girlhood vacations in the Ozarks and by her own mother, Stone (Girl on the Bluff, not reviewed) has created a quiet novel about ten-year-old Josie and her single mother Ginny, who travel from their home in Texas to Missouri to attend the funeral of Josie’s great-grandmother, Ola. Josie doesn’t know what to expect of a funeral, particularly that of a relative whom she never knew. But as she listens to stories about Ola and her exploits recounted by the woman’s devoted friends, relatives, and neighbors, Ola’s wake proves to be an awakening for Josie. She learns so much about her ancestor that she begins to feel as if she knew her for years, and she comes to appreciate the heritage of which she had previously been unaware. Best of all, Josie learns that, much to her mother’s delight, she resembles spunky, colorful, and life-loving Ola in many ways. In the process Josie grows close to her mother and also makes a new friends, Sara, a girl her own age, who was a devoted friend to Ola. In a dream scene, Josie accompanies her great-grandmother on a berry- and mushroom-picking expedition and the two even attend the funeral together. It will be an awakening for young readers to discover that death need not be regarded only as a somber affair. The novel will help readers recognize that it is not disrespectful to feel joyous even at a mournful time, for a life well lived is a life worthy of celebration. Comforting for children who have experienced the passing of a loved one. (Fiction. 9-12)