Matylda, Bright and Tender

by Holly M. McGhee Narrated by Jenna Lamia

Overview

In a courageous debut novel, Holly M. McGhee explores the loss that shakes one girl's world - and the unexpected consequences of the things we do for love.

Sussy and Guy are best friends, fourth-graders who share their silliest thoughts and deepest hopes. One afternoon, the two of them decide they must have something of their very own to love. After a trip to the pet store, they bring home a spotted lizard, the one with the ancient face and starfish toes, and they name her Matylda (with a*y*so it's all her own). With Guy leading the way, they feed her and give her an origin story fit for a warrior lizard. A few weeks later, on a simple bike ride, there is a terrible accident. As hard as it is, Sussy is sure she can hold on to Guy if she can find a way to love Matylda enough. But in a startling turn of events, Sussy reconsiders what it means to grieve and heal and hope and go on, for her own sake and Matylda's. By turns both devastating and buoyant, this story is a brave one, showing how far we can justify going for a real and true friend.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

01/09/2017
Fourth-graders Sussy and Guy are inseparable, sharing everything—including a leopard gecko they name Matylda. Though Matylda seems to prefer Guy, who is unfazed by the fact that she eats live food (and her own old skin), Sussy loves her, too. When Guy dies protecting Sussy, she channels her pain into caring for Matylda, believing the lizard keenly feels Guy’s loss. Driven by her desire to keep Matylda happy and safe, Sussy begins lying and stealing, becoming increasingly reckless as she fails to confront her grief. At its core, this is a sincere, tender story of friendship: Sussy recounts memories of adventures and conversations with Guy, drawing parallels between the friend she desperately misses and the steadfast Matylda. Even Sussy’s thefts serve as a kind of distorted mirror to qualities she admires in Guy and Matylda. Sussy’s deep sorrow hovers at the edges of each page, but McGhee (the author of Dessert First and other books, writing as Hallie Durand) handles the story’s heavy emotions with a light touch, using Sussy’s changing relationship with Matylda and a classmate to provide balance. Ages 8–12. Agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. (Mar.)

From the Publisher

Sussy’s grief is authentically messy, moving from total despair to anger to confusion, both about her future and Matylda’s. . . . a thoughtful exploration of moving on after loss, and the pet-care element offers an interesting twist.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

This tackles grief for the middle-grade set in much the same way as Ali Benjamin’s The Thing about Jellyfish (2015). As a simple preadolescent love story, it’s refreshing as well.
—Booklist

At its core, this is a sincere, tender story of friendship...Sussy’s deep sorrow hovers at the edges of each page, but McGhee (the author of Dessert First and other books, writing as Hallie Durand) handles the story’s heavy emotions with a light touch, using Sussy’s changing relationship with Matylda and a classmate to provide balance.
—Publishers Weekly

Both Sussy and Guy are creative, intelligent characters, and this novel is a good fit for sensitive middle grade readers...This honest and sensitive offering about grief touches on many difficult topics that, while resolved by the conclusion, may require follow-up conversations with a trusted adult.
—School Library Journal

You will cry when you read this book. But it is worth it. I enjoyed every single page. My heart is full.
—Colby Sharp

This is a beautiful story told with hope and light exploring how life endures despite loss.
—BookPage

Matylda, Bright & Tender masterfully explores the very sad, very poignant grieving process of a child...a well-done, heartwarming, tender story, and one not to be missed.
—Randomly Reading (blog)

This slim middle grade book lives up to its name, a tale that is both bright and tender.
—Reading Style Guide (blog)

School Library Journal

02/01/2017
Gr 4–6—Sussy and Guy are as close as two friends can be. They share everything, even their pet leopard gecko, Matylda, who lives at Sussy's house but is more comfortable with Guy. The tale takes an early tragic turn when Guy is killed in an accident while trying to save Sussy from being attacked by a dog. Sussy is devastated. To deal with the loss of her best friend, she turns her attention to Matylda, who she believes is suffering similarly. As Sussy tries to heal from the emotional desolation, a new facet of her personality takes shape. "The stealing girl" convinces Sussy to compulsively take things for Matylda from the pet store. Sussy's self-destructive focus on Matylda ultimately results in an outburst that injures her, revealing the depth of the emotional conflict, which drives the remainder of the story. Both Sussy and Guy are creative, intelligent characters, and this novel is a good fit for sensitive middle grade readers. With Guy's death occurring in the first quarter of the book, the bulk of the plot centers on Sussy's experience processing grief and living with loss rather than on Guy's death. The narrative is told from Sussy's point of view, and it is a treat to experience the world from her poetic and imaginative perspective. McGhee's depictions of grief and loss are authentic, as are the responses of Sussy's parents, who are unsure of how to comfort their daughter. The emergence of the "stealing girl," who motivates Sussy's uncharacteristic actions, lends itself to thought-provoking discussions, making this a good read-aloud or book club selection. VERDICT This honest and sensitive offering about grief touches on many difficult topics that, while resolved by the conclusion, may require follow-up conversations with a trusted adult.—Juliet Morefield, Multnomah County Library, OR

AUGUST 2017 - AudioFile

Narrator Jenna Lamia sensitively portrays grief-stricken Sussy, who loses her best friend, Guy, in a bicycle accident that occurred while he was saving her from an attacking dog. She pours her guilt, despair, and anger into caring for their shared pet gecko, Matylda. Everything reminds Sussy of that day, causing her to relive her pain. Lamia pulls listeners through her crescendos of emotion, which are relieved each time by her father’s calm and steady voice reminding her “to breathe” and slow down. Lamia gently conveys the bond between Sussy and her pet and how it allows her to heal. This heartwarming and heartbreaking story is told with a depth of emotion sure to make listeners cry. M.F.T. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2016-11-23
After losing her best friend, a little girl tries to hold on to him by transferring her affection to the pet lizard they shared in picture-book author Hallie Durand's first novel.Ten-year-old, white Sussy (short for Susquehanna) has been best friends with Guy since kindergarten and loves him "more than anything." When Guy suggests they need a pet, they purchase a leopard gecko they name Matylda, imagining the little lizard as a warrior drawn to them by love. Guy has a special connection with Matylda, who clearly responds to him more than Sussy. Everything changes after Guy is killed in a biking accident trying to save Sussy from an attacking dog. Alone, bereft, and filled with guilt, Sussy vows to find a way to love Matylda just as Guy did, since the lizard is all she has left of him. Isolated in her bedroom all summer, wearing the same clothes she wore the day Guy died, Sussy constantly relives the accident and tries to justify stealing special food and toys to earn Matylda's affection. In her own words, Sussy poignantly describes her emotional journey from grief and despair to healing and hope as she learns how to love Matylda in her own way and move on without Guy. McGhee does not flinch from Sussy's overwhelming grief, spinning out long sentences that keep taking her back to the awful truth. A bright and tender novel of love, loss, and survival. (Fiction. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172051005
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	05/02/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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