Synopses & Reviews
Jeremy's whole life changed the day his mother left.When his mother leaves with the father of his worst enemy at school, nine-year-old Jeremy seeks to make sense of her abandonment. He throws himself into recreating the Book of Birds, a collection of drawings that his mother took with her on the day she left. While his father fights his own depression and his sister distances herself from their lives, Jeremy turns wholeheartedly to nature, and finds solace in the quiet comfort of drawing.
In this novel, James Prosek tells Jeremy's story without blame, without self-pity, and without excuses. The Day My Mother Left should be read by anyone who has gone through the pain of losing a parent, and by anyone who wants to meet Jeremy, a boy who can see inside himself the person he wants to become.
Review
"Unexpected details and insight into a young, mixed-up mind make the book a pleasing, emotional read for all ages." -- USA Today
Review
"Prosek movingly chronicles young Jeremy's emotional upheaval after his
mother abandons his family, in this sophisticated novel."
-- Publishers Weekly
Review
"Prosek movingly chronicles young Jeremy's emotional upheaval after his mother abandons his family, in this sophisticated novel." -- Publishers Weekly
Review
"The 26 etchings, mostly of birds, made by Prosek on copper plates and used as chapter headings, are indeed lovely, and give young readers a visual sense of Jeremy's naturalistic world." -- Kirkus
Review
"Prosek's story is the sort English teachers would love to assign. It is a fine book with a quality of excellence we don't frequently see." -- KLIATT
Review
"His(Jeremy) growing understanding of his artistic talent, and how it can shore him up and make him stronger, is the message of the book, and it's conveyed in simple, powerful prose. "A"--EntertainmentWeekly.com
Review
"Prosek's artist's eye (a "cold, bluish moon," a young girl's skin like snow against a green couch) fills the white space left by his spare language. This novel for young people has all the innocence and beauty of [his] paintings."--LA Times