Chosen to be a book of the month for the state of Utah this last April, this charming middle grade book by author Tamra Norton tells the story of Allie, an eleven-year-old girl whose father is serving in Iraq. While he’s gone, she is going to live with her grandmother, along with her mother and little brother. Her mother needs the extra help because she’s expecting another baby, and she has difficult pregnancies.
When the family arrives in Edna, Idaho, after a long drive from their old home in Texas, they are greeted not only by Grandma, but by Abe, a goat who thinks he’s a watchdog. And another surprise awaits them – they’ll be sharing the house with Allie’s great-grandmother, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.
Allie’s not sure how to deal with all of these changes. She misses her home, she misses her father, and the old house makes strange creaking noises at night. Most of all, she’s not sure how to deal with Nanna, her great-grandmother. One minute, Nanna remembers everything perfectly, and the next, she thinks she’s a young girl again. Allie doesn’t understand, and it frightens her a little bit.
Late one night she hears a strange noise in the kitchen and goes to investigate. It’s Nanna, trying to get out the back door, holding an ice cream bucket in her hand. She thinks she needs to go outside to do the milking. Allie leads her back to her room and tucks her in, and from that moment on, she begins to learn more about Nanna and her special needs.
Throughout the book, Allie exchanges e-mails with her father, who congratulates her on her progress in dealing with her challenges. This provides a thread to the story, as she fills her father in on all that’s going on and makes him a memory, since he’s not there to do it himself.
The theme of memory is prevalent in the book. On the one end of the spectrum, we have Nanna who is losing those memories which are most precious to her. On the other, we have Allie, who wishes her father could be there to create memories with them. The message is put across that our sweet memories will go with us wherever we go, and that our loved ones are never far away when we remember them.
The book ends with the bittersweet death of Nanna following an emergency surgery, but the message is one of hope and sweetness.
My ten-year-old daughter Caryn also read and enjoyed the book. She said: “I really liked this book. It’s better than Junie B. Jones. It warmed my heart how she (Allie) apologized to her littler brother.”
I encourage you to get a copy of this book and share it with one of your children, and make a memory together.
(This book was published in 2005 by Cedar Fort.)
Related Blogs:
Early Detection for Alzheimer’s Disease
Author Interview: Tamra Norton, part one and two
Author of “Make Me a Memory,” Tamra Norton.