Posthumous

By: Paul Aertker

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

"Eternal optimism."

While living in Paris, Ellie Kerr's mother writes a series of children's stories. Unfortunately, she passes away before they can be published.

Ellie and her father return to the US, and Ellie decides to finish what her mother started. However, she is blocked from accessing her mother's computer by a mysterious password. Ellie becomes determined to find the truth, but if she fails four times, the computer's data, including her mother's unpublished stories, will be destroyed. Even though her father thinks the code is unbreakable, Ellie believes that her mother may have left a posthumous message in the new password. With the help of her friends, Ellie tries to crack the code, publish the books, and ultimately honor her mother's memory.

The book is a smart novel that will appeal to fans of The Fourteenth Goldfish, Rain Reign, Smile, Counting by Sevens, and Because of Winn Dixie. It teaches children an important lesson to never give up on a dream, regardless of the odds.

The story is a deeply moving tale of a 12-year-old girl's perseverance, friendship, and belief in honoring her mother's legacy. It has been praised for its tender and moving exploration of grief and its emphasis on the power of stories left behind after death. The book has won several awards, including the WINNER INDIES Book of the Year (Juvenile Fiction) and the WINNER SCBWI Spark Honor. Kirkus Reviews has called it "a reminder that inclusiveness and kindness can always defeat fear," while Publisher's Weekly has praised it as "a bittersweet story of eternal optimism."

Additionally, the book is replete with definitions of words that may be unfamiliar to young readers, making it an excellent resource for grammar and language learning. The author's prose is warm and relatable, with authentic dialogue and apt descriptions that make the story accessible to a middle-grade audience.

Overall, friendship, perseverance, and the power of belief in oneself shine in this novel about a girl trying to connect with her past and honor her mother's memory. It is a heartfelt story that will resonate with readers of all ages.