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Getting Near to Baby

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 10, age appropriate for kids over 11; suggested age 11.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Moving story of grief and recovery.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 11 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Protesting situations in a manner that places a younger sibling in danger.

  • Violence:

    Death of sibling. Father's desertion. Control conflicts between a preteen and an adult older sister.

  • Sex:

    Not an issue.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Getting Near to Baby was written by Maria Strom

Parents need to know that the beautifully handled nonlinear plot and the vivid language keep readers engaged, but the slow, sad story makes it less appealing.

Families Can Talk About

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  • Families can talk about how Willa Jo handles her baby sister's illness and death and its effects on her mother. How does Willa Jo try to help her mother and sister? What do you think of her efforts?
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More on Getting Near to Baby

Book Summary

When Baby dies, tragedy affects everyone in the family differently. They must find their own paths through grief, in their own time, and this may not match another's schedule or needs. The wisdom of one family member in supporting these differences results in healing. This moving story of grief and recovery is told in an eccentric, nonlinear fashion.

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Is It Any Good?

The moving story line highlights the shattering effect of grief in 12-year-old Willa Jo Dean's family. It echoes Willa Jo's fragmentary process of working through grief over her baby sister's death and its debilitating effects on Mom. It also adds to the satisfaction of the family reunion at book's end. Some children may have a hard time with the sad topic and the slow pace of the story.

Willa Jo is portrayed as a spunky girl fighting to help her sister, while struggling to be of help to Mom, by living with rule-making Aunt Patty. Willa Jo sounds adult, partly as a result of the book's engaging Southern voice and partly because she's the older sister.

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Publisher’s Details

Publisher: Penguin Group, Publication date: 1/1/1999
Number of pages: 211, Price: $5.99 (paperback)
Read Alone: 11+

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    mychemialromance
    Lives in Illinois
    I rate this title on for age 11 and give it 2.0

    funny

    i hate it

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Adult Reviewer
    BAD_singer
    Lives in Georgia
    I rate this title on and give it 4.0

    What a great book!

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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