[.ca] Sun And Spoon (ISBN 0141300957)

From Amazon.com:
Ten-year-old Spoon Gilmore is consumed with one worry--that he will forget his beloved, recently deceased grandmother. The solution, he decides, is to somehow find a memento, something that he can touch and hold close so that her memory will live forever. The trouble begins when Spoon steals the memento (his grandmother's special solitaire deck of cards) from his grandfather's house. At first the cards give him the reassurance he longed for. But soon after, Spoon's grandfather confides that he too was finding comfort in the deck of cards and is now suffering from insomnia, fretting over what could have happened to them. Kevin Henkes drives this story with unusual characters, such as Spoon's eccentric younger sister who carries suitcases full of twigs, and Spoon himself, a complicated boy grappling with guilt and loss. With the finesse of a polished novelist, Henkes also introduces an abundance of delicious metaphors--his parents' vegetable garden (their nurturing and grounded ways); his grandmother's sun collection (a constant life force); a deck of solitaire cards (the solo journey of grief), and on it goes. But most impressive is Henkes's compassion for the painful mistakes that children often make while trying to sort out the inevitably disturbing emotions and events of childhood. American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, Publishers Weekly Best Book, School Library Journal Best Book. (Ages 9 to 12) --Gail Hudson

Sun and Spoon:
Sort of sad but touching. It is about a kid named spoon, his sister, mom and dad and grandpa. Spoon wants to find something of his grandmother who had died a couple of months ago. Read this book if you want to find out what Spoon finds of his grandmother's.

Sun & Spoon:
I thought this book was a very good book. Tha main character is Spoon Gilmore. If you like plays you will like this book. This book is broken up into parts. This is what the book is about. It was only two months since Spoon'sgrandmother died. He thought he would need something to remind him of her. Spoon's little sister Joanie won't stop tagging along and pestering him even when they go into their grandmother's house. I hope you read this book and like it as much as I did.

One of the most affecting, excellent books for young people!:
I am a sap. I admit it. I get weepy when one of those touching television commercials comes on. Disney movies can get me too. Those are visual images, though. Books have never gotten to me in the same way. I sold books for six years and am now a Children's Librarian...so I read and have always read A LOT. Only two books have ever made me cry. This one made me weep. It is a thing of beauty. The prose is spare and poetic. The characters breathe from their first appearance. The story is so real, so well handled. I don't think anyone could read this short novel and come away unaffected. There is a wonderful network of symbols at work in this book...but you don't have to analize them in order to enjoy meeting Spoon and his family...to feel the depth of his relationship with both his grandparents...and glimpse with him the depth of his grandparent's relationship with each other. Excellent reading for any age reader!

Lessons Learned:
Kevin Henke did again. He made another one of his spectacular books. Sun and Spoon is a great book for children. It teaches kids honesty, friendship, and family. It talks about a boy who hardly knew a thing about his grandma. Then when he wanted to know a little about her it was to late, she had died. This taught me that I should spend time with older people in my family, especially my great aunt and uncle. That's why I go to their house every other week. This book had a big impact on me and it might do the same to you

In Memory of Gram:
Sun & Spoon presents how a young lad copes with the death of his grandmother. Henkes presents the story in such a touching way as Spoon searches for something tangible to remember his gram by. Not only does the story depict outward expressions of grief that Spoon deals with but also reveals his inner struggle of right and wrong. Spoon matures as the series of events unfold and learns a deep truth that a sorrow shared is, indeed, a sorrow halved. He and his grandfather both feel closer to gram as they play double soltaire with gram's deck of cards!