• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

What a crappy way to spend a weekend. The always-sarcastic Abby would rather be playing soccer, and the cagily quiet Christopher thinks a grief retreat is a waste of time. Neither of them wants to spend two days talking about their feelings. But despite their best efforts to stay aloof, Abby and Christopher are drawn into the lives of the other kids at the retreat. Maybe their stories will make them rethink how they are dealing with their own losses.

MONIQUE POLAK écrit régulièrement pour le Montreal Gazette et a été publiée dans de nombreux autres quotidiens de renom tels que le Globe and Mail, le National Post et Newsday. Dans la collection SideStreets, elle a écrit All In et On the Game, ainsi que Flip Turn pour la collection Sports Stories. D’ailleurs, ces deux derniers ouvrages ont figuré sur la liste des meilleurs livres pour enfants du Centre du livre jeunesse canadien. Monique enseigne l’écriture ainsi que la littérature anglaise. Elle vit à Montréal, au Québec, avec son mari et sa fille.

MONIQUE POLAK is the author of 26 novels for young readers, as well as two non-fiction titles and a board book. Her books Hate Mail, Room for One More, and the historical novel What World is Left, which was inspired by her mother’s experience during the Holocaust, were all winners of the Quebec Writers’ Federation Prize for Children’s and YA Literature.

Her books have also been nominated for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People and the Arthur Ellis Award, and several have been selected as Best Books for Children and Teens by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.

She is also a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Macleans, and Postmedia newspapers across the country, and is a columnist on ICI Radio-Canada’s Plus on est de fous, plus on lit Monique lives in Montreal, Quebec, where she teaches English and Humanities at Marianopolis College.

Monique Polak's profile page

• Nominated, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards - Young Adult / Middle Reader
• Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens, starred selection

"Dramas keep the plot of Planet Grief rolling along…Never one to skirt difficult issues, Monique Polak has given us a book that speaks to the people around us of any age who are struggling with the loss of a loved one."

Montreal Review of Books

"Offers a helpful model to readers struggling with loss and healing in their own lives, particularly the messages that they are not alone and there are many ways to grieve. This is a good choice for readers in need of a quick-moving but informative novel, and, perhaps, a little reassurance."

Booklist

&quotThe story is engagingly told from the changing perspective of two narrators. It makes for an intimate and sometimes moving view.&quot

January Magazine

"Good bibliotherapy…Middle school students will enjoy and benefit from this book. The writing is engaging, the topic is important, and the message is well-delivered."

School Library Connection

&quotThe characters are realistic and relatable…A good general addition to large library collections.&quot

School Library Journal

&quotIt allows the reader to understand that going through the grieving process may be as individual as the person…The story is compelling and one is drawn into the emotions experienced by the kids and their parents who have suffered the death of a parent or sibling.&quot

Resource Links

&quotA compelling narrative…might prove useful to someone struggling to deal with a death.&quot

Kirkus Reviews