Lolo’s Light
Once in your life, sometime after your first memory but before you drive a car, something will happen to you that doesn’t happen to anyone else you know. It might be something good or 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. So how does she go on? She does what you’ll do. She finds her way. With cover embroidery by Kathie Sever of Fort Lonesome and published by Chronicle in 2022.
★“…extraordinarily well written, taking readers on the heartbreaking, difficult, and necessary journey that follows unthinkable loss. . . . A poignant coming-of-age story that explores the ripple effects of death, loss, and forgiveness.” – Kirkus Reviews
★ “… treats the topic of grief with wisdom and tenderness in this slice-of-life novel set on the North Shore of Chicago….Divided into tonally discrete “before” and “everything after” sections that convey the tween’s transformation, the narrative economically and movingly renders Millie’s inner turmoil—and work with a therapist—in the wake of a sorrowful event.” — Publishers Weekly
★ “Scanlon’s writing glows with descriptive imagery readers can sink into like a comforting blanket…. Recommend this book to anyone who has ever been mired in darkness, or more importantly, to anyone needing to know there is a light switch.” — BCCB
★ “In writing Lolo’s Light, Garton Scanlon undertook a monumental challenge. The result is a compelling novel that glows with understanding and empathy.” — BookPage
“Sensitive, heartfelt, and redemptive, Lolo’s Light is simply luminous.” — Toledo Blade
“What a wonderful, truly awesome and amazing story this is. Millie, Sam, Ms. Fritz, Lolo, the Acostas—theirs is a story filled with grace, longing, and, above all, love. My heart will never be the same again.” — Kathi Appelt, author of The Underneath, National Book Award finalist and Newbery honoree
“Lolo’s Light is a tender, gentle exploration of grief and a testament to the light—family, friendship, community—that helps us through it.” — Elana K. Arnold, author of A Boy Called Bat, Michael L. Printz honoree and National Book Award finalist
“Expertly woven with tenderness and grace, this is a book for anyone who needs reminding there is always light to be found in the darkness.” — Christina Soontornvat, Newbery Honor-winning author of A Wish in the Dark
- A Kirkus Best Book of 2022
- A BookPage Best Book of 2022
- A Toledo Blade Best Book of 2022
