If Only

Book excerpt: Thirteen-year-old Corinna's world is turned upside down by the death of her mother. IF ONLY is the story of Corinna's first year struggling with her aching loss while having to navigate the more typical coming-of-age dilemmas, with all their awkward intensity. Corinna is strong but fragile, angry and sad, yet she is also full of life and attitude. She endures adults and peers who are clueless about how to deal with her loss, eventually finding a mix of supportive characters, including an aunt, a teacher, and the kids in the school's "death group." We learn her innermost fears and the secrets she discovers about her family. After retracing her mother's steps on a sometimes spiritual, sometimes hilarious trip to Japan with her father, the novel ends as Corinna begins high school with an emerging sense of hope. This heart-warming and humorous coming-of-age novel shines a light on the profound ways such a loss changes our lives.