Beside The Sea by Veronique Olmi

I read this book in October 2012, here's a copy of my review from then:

This book is narrated by a single mother, her two boys are Stan who's 9 and 5 year old Kevin. She takes them to the seaside as they've never seen the sea before but they go during the week when they should be at school, arriving late at night when it's dark to stay in a hotel. She takes all her money on the trip (loose change in a tin) and none of the visits to the beach, cafe or funfair go well, as you read the book and it becomes darker you know it won't have a happy ever after ending.

I felt sorry for the three of them, it becomes apparent from the start that the unnamed mother is unwell and suffering from mental health issues. Social workers are mentioned and she tells us how Stan often gets himself and his brother to school in the mornings, and how when they need picking up she does sometimes get there, it's just not at the same time as the other parents.
I don't want to say too much for fear of giving the ending away but although this book is heartbreaking it's a must read. Even now months on from when I read Beside The Sea it has stayed with me and probably more so than any other book I've read.

Still Missing by Beth Gutcheon

Still Missing by Beth Gutcheon is one of my favourite books:

Alex Selky, going on seven, kisses his mother goodbye and sets off for his school that's only two blocks away. He never gets there. His mother is desperate to find him and begins a vigil that lasts for days, then weeks, then months and never gives up hope that he'll be found alive.

This book originally came out in the early 80's but had been out of print in Britain for some time before Persephone books published it again. I wasn't sure how I would get on with reading it as my daughters are a similar age to the missing boy but I'm so glad that I did. As the story progresses and the weeks turn to months with still no sign of Alex, his mother Susan is the only person who believes he's still alive somewhere and her family and friends feel that she should start to try and move on. This is a very well written book (which you would expect if Persephone have published it), I couldn't put it down and I was desperate to find out what had happened to Alex. I originally read this just after it came out and ended up taking a longer lunch break at work so I could finish it.

One of the best books I've read and certainly one I'll revisit.