If Only Analysis

Most of If Only takes place in Bethesda, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC. The author's from DC, so she's writing what she knows, but with the exception of a mention of Georgetown Cupcake, loca...

Who else is going to tell the intimate story of a character's loss besides the character herself? We're right there with Corinna as she relates the year after her mom's death. We get to read her En...

Actually, this is a middle-grade novel, but that's close enough to young adult—it's aimed at tweens and younger teens, and told by an eighth grader. As for the coming-of-age thing, we see Corinna...

Corinna lets us in on some pretty personal stuff, including her grief and anxiety about her bodily changes (or lack thereof). She tells us, "My world is upside down and inside out and scrambled lik...

If you're thirteen-years-old and someone you know has just died, you don't need poetry; you need a book that speaks your language. Geithner's a therapist, and she knows how kids really talk. If Onl...

This one's easy: Corinna's life would still be normal if only her mother hadn't died—so the book is called If Only. Lots of things would be different if only Sophie were still around: She'd still...

If Only begins with Corinna starting eighth grade and ends with her starting ninth. As it ends, it's the first day of Corinna attending the school where her dad teaches, and she's excited to see Cl...

If Only is a middle-grade novel aimed at the widest possible audience, from grieving kids to the grown-ups who love them. The language is simple and direct—after all, if your brain is muddled fro...

Middle School: Horrible Enough Without Somebody DyingIt's safe to say Corinna Burdette's life stinks. As if eighth grade isn't already difficult enough, Corinna's mom dies of cancer two weeks befor...

They really do eat minnows in Japan. Specifically, as a dried snack food. In a bag. With nuts. (Source.) Tons of buttons on toilets? Also totally a real thing in Japan. (Source.) Corinna's not the...

There's no sex whatsoever in If Only. Corinna does have her first crush and first kiss, but her biggest bodily concerns are when she's going to get boobs and a period. This is a middle-grade book,...

Jennings Michael Burch, They Cage the Animals at Night (5.4)Judith Viorst, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day  (15.23)Molly Fumia (34.5)Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unf...