Just Remember is a work of fiction in the interpersonal drama, emotional writing, and magical realism sub-genres, and was penned by author Donna Blaber. The work is intended for the upper middle grade and lower young adult reading audience and contains references to death and its associated grieving process. Our protagonist is Em, a young girl whose life changes forever when her father suddenly dies, and she must find a path to healing after she has to move and stay with her Nan. With the help of a mermaid, a little magic, and most importantly the power of new friends, Em’s journey is one of understanding and building a new future after trauma. What results is a very engrossing emotional tale that is sure to keep young readers interested and turning the pages from cover to cover.

Author Donna Blaber has crafted an emotional and accomplished work of MG/YA fiction which is perfectly balanced to be accessible to young readers but still totally emotionally sensitive and suitably complex. One of the features which I found particularly impressive about this piece was Em herself and the character portrayal, which keeps a close narrative beside her so that we always understand her emotions, behaviors, and reasons for the way she feels at any given plot moment. From some truly overwhelming scenes of trauma, Blaber manages to grow beauty, peace, hope, and joy, creating a magnificent and uplifting tale that is sure to educate and help children relate to and sympathize with others going through these difficult moments in life. Overall, I would highly recommend Just Remember to fans of well-penned social issues fiction, engaging main characters with great dialogue, and to anyone looking for positive but realistic trauma-related tales.

In Just Remember, a young adult novel by Donna Blaber, thirteen-year-old Em blames herself for a car accident that killed her father and debilitated her mum who lost her unborn twins. Em had been given detention for talking, which in turn changed the scheduling for her after-school pick-up. The change put her family on the road at the time an oncoming driver was texting and caused the crash. Em is placed in another town with her Nan. Besides her self-imposed guilt, she must fit into a new school where she knows no one and wears clothes that make her a subject of derision. Her only solace is to return to a tree near the beach where she used to sit and talk with her dad. There she finds a special heart-shaped rock and meets a mermaid whom her father once referred to in a story. The stone had been lost by the mermaid, who is searching for it. She needs to use its magic powers to restore environmental health to damaged ocean estuaries. Em’s mission becomes to return the stone to the mermaid.

I was deeply moved by reading Just Remember by Donna Blaber and cannot wait to give it to my 14-year-old granddaughter. Em is a wonderful role model, as are the two friends she meets who go out of their way to befriend her. Working together to help Em in her quest to restore order not only to her own life but to her natural surroundings, they discover the source of the problem and collaborate skillfully to save the local Mermaid Ponds. In so doing, Em spiritually communes with her lost dad. Em is a fabulously drawn protagonist. I also greatly enjoyed the New Zealand beach setting, the place names, and the terms for flora and fauna, which are explained in a handy glossary. Just Remember by Donna Blaber made me put a trip to New Zealand on my bucket list.