Lolo's Light

Q: Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?

No, you don’t have to buy the ebook to participate, but we do recommend it to get the most out of your club. There are several premium social reading features that are only available when you buy the ebook, like annotations, reactions, comment threads, resources, discussion prompts, and more, all embedded right in the text. It’s a unique and immersive way to read.

Q: Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?

It’s annoying, we know. App store rules prevent us from selling directly in the app, so for now you can only purchase ebooks on our website. Don’t worry: when you purchase an ebook on the web, it’s automatically added to your bookshelf in the app.

Q: How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?

Kindle is a straightforward e-reader; Fable is an interactive e-reader that includes social features inside the ebooks. When you read an ebook on Fable, you can see and react to the text with others in real time. Start a discussion, share highlights and quotes, add emoji reactions—all of it lives right inside the book. It’s hard to explain and easy to see, so we recommend reading the free sample in one of our most active clubs to get a feel for it.

Q: Do you sell physical books too?

We do not sell physical books at this time. Wish we did? Let us know why here!

Q: Are book clubs free to join on Fable?

Most of our clubs are completely free to join. The only exceptions are clubs marked as “Premium” or “Career Development,” which do require a fee. You can find out more on each club’s detail page.

Q: How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?

The first step is to download the Fable app. From there, you’ll be able to create your own private or public book club and invite others to read with you. Once your club is created, click on the plus sign under “Currently reading” and search for this book to add it to your club.

By Liz Garton Scanlon

Publisher Description

For readers who love The Thing About Jellyfish and Counting By 7s, Lolo's Light is a deeply honest middle grade novel about grief, redemption, and life as a kid facing both.

This is a truth about growing up: Once in your life, sometime after your first memory but before you can drive a car, something is going to happen to you that doesn't happen to anyone else you know. It might be something good. It might be something bad, or special, or funny, or shocking. For Millie, it's something really sad. Lolo, her neighbors' infant daughter, dies unexpectedly, suddenly, inexplicably, on the night Millie babysits.

It's not Millie's fault. There's nothing she could have done. And there's nothing she can do now.

So how does she go on?

She does what you'll do. She finds her way.

This poignant and profound coming-of-age story portrays a tragic experience of responsibility and its poisonous flip side: guilt. Emotional and important, this is an honest and empathetic portrait of a girl at her most vulnerable—a mess of grief, love, and ultimately, acceptance—who must reckon with those most difficult of demons: death . . . and life.

A GREAT WAY TO UNDERSTAND DIFFICULT FEELINGS: Coming to terms with one's responsibility for things both our fault and not is a universal experience that can be difficult to process, particularly when grief is involved. Millie offers a great blueprint for young readers who don't understand the surrounding emotions and need help working through them.

A MAIN CHARACTER KIDS WILL LOVE: Millie makes mistakes as she navigates grief. It's often not pretty, but it is very relatable. The author's honest portrayal of this experience will resonate with young readers, whether grieving or not.

Perfect for:

Middle grade readers
Educators and librarians
Parents looking for books on loss or grief

Download the free Fable app

Stay organized

Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities

Stay organized

Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities

Lolo's Light Reviews

4.0

katieann

Created about 2 months ago

lindseybing

Created 2 months ago

Peddler410

Created 7 months ago

“I almost made it to the end without tears — ALMOST! Millie is dealing with guilt and, eventually, grief. Shutting out all who want to help. It takes time, almost the whole book, for Millie to accept her grief. But that’s how grief is; it takes time. I enjoyed the egg hatching as a vehicle to help show us Millie’s feelings towards Lolo’s death. While dealing with tough topics, the author handles them with a gentleness unmatched.”

Believable Change and grow Strong relationships Satisfying conclusion Steady pacing Beautifully-written Descriptive Child loss Death Grief

Jerry Jennings

Created 10 months ago

“The story is so very well written, the characters are true-to-life, and the issues of acceptance of loss and grieving are universal. Lolo’s Light by Liz Garton Scanlon (2022) is an honestly written story for middle schoolers around two real life issues: 1) finding a way to accept the death of another and 2) accepting the unique path of grieving that either you or another person is on. Granted these are not necessarily the ‘normal themes’ for most middle schoolers’ books. And we all know that many middle schoolers, and certainly even younger children, experience someone they know and maybe love - dying. The topic is real. And the topic is delicate. Millie is the main character in the story and the time is current. Millie is a 12-year-old middle child. She gets to have her ‘first ever’ babysitting job because she is covering for her older sister who has a school concert that night and can’t do both. All goes well with the babysitting jig. And Millie is pleased to be growing up! Then, Millie and her family, find out that the four-month-old baby she sat for died later in the night of sudden death syndrome. Millie is not responsible for this death in anyway and no one believes she is. Yet, grieving and path forward are shared in this novel. Liz Garton Scanlon has written a superb story that can enhance the reader’s understanding of the character’s reactions to the loss. This is a book that can open conversation and awareness. The Kirkus in their five-star review wrote: “A poignant coming-of-age story that explores the ripple effects of death, loss, and forgiveness.” Publisher’s Weekly in their starred review wrote: “Garton treats the topic of grief with wisdom and tenderness in this slice-of-life novel set on the North Shore of Chicago.” I recommend this book.”

Mal3

Created 12 months ago

About Liz Garton Scanlon

Liz Garton Scanlon is the author of numerous beloved books for young people, including the highly acclaimed, Caldecott Honor–winning picture book All the World, illustrated by Marla Frazee; her debut novel for middle grade readers, The Great Good Summer; Another Way to Climb a Tree; In the Canyon; Bob, Not Bob!, coauthored with Audrey Vernick and illustrated by Matthew Cordell; and several others. Liz serves on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a frequent and popular presenter at schools, libraries, and conferences. She lives with her family in Austin, Texas.