Losing a grandparent is never easy, but it's also something many kids go through at an early age. In Claudia and the Sad Good-bye, Martin allows Claudia the room to authentically grieve for her grandma Mimi. There's nothing simple about her grief, either; Claudia is confused and angry, but she also feels disconnected from what's happening around her, with the funeral itself being a blur. To see her grief depicted in such a natural way felt revolutionary when the book was released, and it still feels that way now. There's no easy fix for the pain that she feels, but her friends rally around her, offering support and sharing their own memories of Mimi.
This heart-wrenching outing is a stunning exploration of friendship, grief, and growing up. It includes everything that makes the BSC such a pivotal series for so many kids both then and now, and for that reason, Claudia and the Sad Good-bye earns the honor of being the best BSC book of them all.
