Sorry For Your Loss By: Joanne Levy

Genre:  Realistic Fiction
Age Recommendation:  Grade 7/8

"Sorry For Your Loss" is a Red Maple 2023 nominee.  Evie is a self proclaimed loner.  Her parents run a Jewish funeral home that is located next to their home.  Evie is proud of what her parents do.  She appreciates that they help people navigate a difficult time with caring.  Unfortunately, some of Evie's classmates are very cruel to her because of her family's business and call her names like, corpse girl.  It's summer vacation and Evie has insisted she doesn't want to go to camp, so she's helping her parents at the funeral home.  The start of the summer brings a tragic accident that leaves a boy, Oren, who is Evie's age, without his parents.  Evie is the only one who seems to be able to connect with Oren and this leaves Evie battling with being a loner.  This is a very touching story.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though it made me shed a few tears.  I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy realistic fiction and stories of friendship.