“There are three people at our house: me, / my mom, / and my granny. / And that is how it has been / for as long as I can remember.” But Pearl’s Granny no longer remembers who Pearl is. Pearl’s feelings about Granny’s illness, and then her death, are at the heart of this tender story in the voice of a young poet. For Pearl, home has always been her haven—the place where she is seen and understood. In the schoolyard she feels invisible. In the classroom, her teacher, Miss Bruff, asks the students to write poems “with lots of rhyme and rhythm … there is no rhythm in me. / There is no rhythm in my life.” As she navigates her feelings of sadness and grief, Pearl finds some unexpected connections—with her teacher, with a classmate—and the ability to “feel happy-sad / that life goes on.” Sally Murphy writes about dying, death, and grief with honesty and depth in this short, surprising novel featuring delicate black-and-white illustrations on almost every page. (Ages 8–10)

At school, Pearl is a group of one, and at home her beloved granny is fading. A poignant gem of a tale about independence, grief, and finding your place.

Pearl likes to write poems, but despite the insistence of her teacher, Ms. Bruff, Pearl's poems don't rhyme, and neither does she. She wishes she could grow gills so she could stay underwater in swim class without drowning. And she hasn't a clue why perfect Prudence bumps her desk and sends her pencils flying. Pearl thinks there's no nicer sound than the bell at the end of the day, even though back at home, Granny, always a crucial part of their family of three, sometimes doesn't recognize Pearl, and Mom is tired from providing constant care. In a lyrical novel told with clear-eyed sympathy, humor, and heart, Sally Murphy follows a girl who holds fast to her individuality even as she learns to let go-- and in daring to share her voice, discovers that maybe she's not a group of one after all.