ALICIA AFTERIMAGE

After Alicia Betancourt died in a car accident in 2004, her mother, picture-book illustrator Delacre, put together this collection of thoughts and memories of Alicia from her friends and family. Each shares recollections of Alicia and how she influenced his or her life with her upbeat personality—which is the crux of this book’s problem. Alicia may have been a kind friend, a talented dancer and hugely compassionate, but while these traits make for a spectacular human being, they also make for a frankly boring protagonist. Viewed only through the eyes of those who loved her, Alicia comes across as a flawless angel (a description used more than once), someone the reader can never hope to relate to or even aspire to emulate. It’s easy to see that Alicia’s friends and family adored her, but that love comes across on the page as slushy, full of stilted dialogue. This lovely tribute to Alicia’s memory is neither thought-provoking nor especially interesting for the general reader. (Nonfiction. 12 & up)