Blackberries in the Dark by Mavis Jukes, Thomas B. Allen (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

"Austin's visit to his grandmother's is the first since Grandpa died. Austin notices Grandpa's things but feels the emptiness of his absence. This spare story vividly captures the emotions of painful times and shows how they ease with sharing and remembering. Boy and grandfather were close, but boy and grandmother seem destined to be just as close, with Grandpa's memory to bind them. Poignant and perceptive, this has impressive resonance, and readers won't easily shed its warm afterglow."--(starred) Booklist.  

Publishers Weekly

The Newberry Honor author tells a heartwarming story of a boy visiting his grandmother after his grandfather's death. Ages 7-1O. (Oct.)

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4 Nine-year-old Austin visits his grandmother for the first time since his granddad's death. The awkwardness of that first day does not lead to a morose story; instead, it is one of love, shared feelings and family. Grandma and Austin recall the last time all of them were together: Grandpa and Austin had gone fishing; they picked blackberries in the dark and Grandma made a pie which they ate in the middle of the night. After holding each other and crying together, Austin trots off to pick berries followed by Grandma, outfitted in Grandpa's fishing gear. Old memories are cast into new traditions as they pick berries in the dark. The togetherness is fortified when Grandma adds a link of heritage by giving Austin her antique doll and Grandpa's trout-shaped fishing knife. The simple actions and genuine emotions are accentuated by subtleties of language and intertwining of phrases. Skillfully succinct descriptions shape the composition and the characterizations. The black-and-white illustrations match the simplicity of the short story without overshadowing its poignancy. Jukes has smoothly cast a sensitive, touching story with just the right wrist action to produce bubbles of humor, deep understanding and familial images as clear as a trout stream. It's a wonderful catch. Julie Cummins, Monroe County Lib . System, Rochester, N.Y.

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