If Only by Carole Geithner

Pages: 327
Intended Audience: Tweens and up
Genre: Real life / Grief
Notes for Parents: Some mature themes

The Back Cover

If Corinna Burdette could have one wish, she knows exactly what it would be. When most girls her age are hoping for new cell phones or prettier hair, Corinna wishes that her mother, Sophie, was alive again. Having her mother taken away from her the summer before eighth grade was not part of the plan.
Now Corinna has to do the unthinkable: concentrate in school, play soccer, and hang out with friends, all as if nothing has happened. Corinna’s dad tries to help, but he’s dealing with his own grief. Her friends try, but they don’t know what to say. While everyone else’s life is moving along, Corinna feels hers has stopped—it’s especially hard when, at any given moment, she feels like she might completely lose it. But as Corinna’s year progresses, surprising things begin to happen, including a discovery that leads to information she never knew about her mother.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The author is a licensed clinical social worker and an assistant clinical professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. This is her debut novel.

What’s good?

Likeable, sincere characters highlight this story about a girl named Corinna who must go on with her life after the death of her mother. The language is simple, but emotional, and the plot moves slowly, but deliberately, taking us from the depths of her heartache to a place of hope. Her interactions with friends and family, as well as her dad’s behavior, show us how difficult simple daily tasks can be for someone suffering with grief. A sweet romance and a wonderful trip are lights in Corinna’s dark year.
Best Part: Japan

What isn’t good?

This book is sad. It’s about a girl who is sad and who gets less sad as time goes on. But even in the end, it was sad because she was still a little girl who missed her mother.
Worst part: Nothing was terrible. It was all just sad.

Recommendation þþþoo

Since the book is intended for readers in grades 5-9 and it deals with some very heavy emotional stuff, it makes sense that the plot was kept very simple. But where it lacks in sophistication it makes up for in honesty. The story feels very real. Overall, I recommend this book.

Geithner, Carole. If Only. New York: Scholastic, 2012.