The Hole
by Lindsay Bonilla; illus. by Brizida Magro
Primary    Paulsen/Penguin    32 pp.
2/25    9780593529140    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780593529157    $10.99

This tender, deeply empathetic story, narrated by a child grieving the loss of a sibling, offers a moving exploration of grief’s many layers. “There’s a hole in the bottom bunk where my brother, Matty, used to sleep,” the narrator reflects on the first page. The illustrator visualizes this hole as a black scribble drifting throughout the house, a metaphor for grief that captures its persistent, all-encompassing nature. The hole appears beside Mom and Dad as they try to carry on and, affectingly, over their hearts as the family sits together at dinner. “I hate these holes,” the narrator confesses, as classmates react in varying ways: some ignore them, some fail to notice. A friend, Nora, takes a different approach. Curious about the hole, she stays by the protagonist’s side as her friend descends into it, spotlighted in the emotional illustrations by a warm yellow light. The story reaches a cathartic turning point when the child collapses in sorrow, shouting out, “I miss you, Matty.” In the quiet that follows, Nora encourages her friend to share stories. These recollections bring them to vivid life, later brightening the mood at the family dinner table and offering a sense of connection and healing amidst their shared loss.

From the March/April 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.