Bittersweet story of a boy and his grandmother, who thinks he is a former kindergarten student. The blurry pictures reflect her memories, although at the end she calls him Andy and not Willie. ( )

First sentence: On his way home, a boy stops by a small house. "Grandma!" he calls from the front steps. "Your door is open!"

Premise/plot: Miss Irwin is a picture book for older readers. Andy is visiting his grandma. The problem? She doesn't remember him. At all. She thinks he's a student, a former student. Miss Irwin used to be a teacher (before she retired). Their visit is bittersweet, in my opinion, and extremely focused on one subject: birds. Still, Andy can't help loving his grandma.

My thoughts: Would I love this one more if it didn't feature birds so dominantly? Maybe. Probably. I love the idea of loving this book. I love seeing depictions of grandchildren and grandparents in fiction. I love books that focus on that relationship. Alzheimer's effects on relationships is depicted in this one. I think it will "hit a chord" so to speak with some readers--perhaps those that have experienced this in their own lives. This is actually one of several books I've read this year that deals with grandparents with Alzheimer's. (The others being middle grade novels.) ( )