“So this isn't the kind of book where you meet the main character and you get to like him real well and then he dies at the end. I hate those kind of books. And besides, I can't think of anything worse than using my brother's accident as the tear-jerking climax to some tragic story.
I don't want to make you cry.
I just want to tell you about Mick.“
pickMick Harte Was Here is the novel by Barbara Park. After reading the back and discovering that the title character has died in a bicycle accident , I grabbed a box of tissues and prepared to read a sad book. But I discovered, that like with Junie B. Jones for little kids, Barbara Park can do two things at once. She can be tender, sad, and reflective AND funny, light, and engaging. It takes a special writer to do that. I loved this book.
I love it when the title can be incorporated into the cover illustration. This cover & the version I posted on Sunday both do this well. #ForFontsSake #AndItsAugust
pickWhen her brother Mick dies in a bicycle accident, Phoebe must grieve & come to terms with his death. It's one of the few books that deals with the death of a sibling. It also deals with bicycle safety, which can't be stressed enough to kids (& adults). Her speech at the bike safety assembly felt like it'd make the perfect PSA. The first-person narration is amazing, allowing readers to really understand the protagonist's perspective.
I read this book so many years ago and EVERY TIME I see a kid riding his/her bike without a helmet, I want to hand this book to the parent. I don't, but I want to. My daughter is the only kid on the block -- there's lots of kids -- who wears a helmet. One mom told me they made their daughters wear one when learning to ride two wheel but after that it was too hard to make them since the other kids weren't.
Mick Harte Was Here | 
