The Someday Suitcase - Hardcover

Gr 4–6—Fifth graders Clover and Danny are best friends and have had an incredibly close bond since they were babies. Early on in the novel, Danny develops a serious illness that eludes his doctors and keeps him out of school, leaving Clover to navigate the social side of school without him. When it comes time to choose a science fair topic, Clover decides to study Danny's illness, reasoning that she knows and cares more about him than his doctors do, and slowly deduces that his condition improves when the two are together. At the same time, Clover is learning about symbiosis and thinks there may be a special link between her and Danny that eases his symptoms. Concerned that Danny's doctors aren't doing enough and that he is running out of time, Clover and Danny devise a secret plan that combines Danny's dream of seeing snow for the first time with a visit to the Somerset Clinic, a facility that specializes in a holistic approach to healing. Clover is a compassionate and reflective narrator, and readers will experience her anxiety and overwhelming need to help her friend. The parents are portrayed with refreshing honesty, as are the challenges in various relationships and friendships. While the last few chapters of the book, after Danny's death, are fragmented, they perfectly capture the unfocused feeling of grief. VERDICT Haydu does not shield readers from hard truths, creating complex characters who face difficult situations. This sensitive work will strike an emotional chord with middle graders.—Juliet Morefield, Multnomah County Library, OR