Missing May, Cynthia Rylant

When young Summer's mother dies, she is passed from one relative to another until she finally ends up with elderly Uncle Ob and Aunt May. This couple's deep love for each other and their warm embrace of Summer bring fun and joy to Summer's life. Six years later, however, that joy turns to grief when Aunt May dies. Both Summer and Uncle Ob find comfort in each other as well as in a new friendship with one of Summer's classmates, Cletus Underwood. The theme of abiding love is presented in this touching novel.

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His Just Due—short story by Cynthia Rylant

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Valentine for Ernest Mann—poem by Naomi Shihab Nye

Mother—short story by Grace Paley

The Girl Who Married a Ghost—Nisqualli myth

Crossing the Bar—poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Study Guide (PDF)