Joy Cowley and Chris Mousdale: Brodie

By MARGIE THOMSON

Cowley seems an unstoppable force. She has written hundreds of books for smaller readers (as well as her very good ones for adults), and here she seems perfectly teamed with Mousdale as together they tell the story of Brodie, the classmate who had many sojourns in hospital and one day did not come back. "We all knew that Brodie was sick, but we thought he'd get better," the narrator says.

Brodie dies, but somehow still seems very alive to his former classmates who continue to remember him and to laugh at the jokes he used to tell.

It's a lump-in-the-throat story about coming to terms with loss, but is life-affirming in its assertion that when a child dies, he or she leaves a strong imprint in the minds of those left behind. Cowley and Mousdale are non-judgmental and even-handed about spiritual issues and, without being in the slightest bit gushy, offer a model of considerate community support as a means for coping with grief.

Publisher: Scholastic, $24.95