See You at Harry's

See You at Harry’s is a middle-grade young adult novel by Jo Knowles. Told by twelve-year-old Fern, it is a coming of age story dealing with an unthinkable tragedy. Knowles has written several acclaimed young adult novels complete with various challenges, such as pregnancy, abuse, and more. See You at Harry’s takes on new ground, offering a balance of commonplace teenage problems (bullying, sexuality, first loves) along with the crux of the book: the death of a child.

Fern is the third of four children, each named after a literary character and each with his or her own set of baggage. The oldest, Sara, is taking a gap year to figure out her life but really spends most of her time making out with the busboy from the family’s restaurant. The next child, Holden, is often bullied but finds solace is his first boyfriend, Gary. Fern, meanwhile, finds her own sense of calm with her best friend Ran, who often repeats his mantra, “all will be well,” to help her cope with her issues. The youngest, Charlie, an accidental baby who is often neglected, clings to Fern in a way only a three-year-old can.

Fern’s parents, who were hippies in their time, are another thorn in her side. They run a restaurant and ice cream parlor called Harry’s and are attempting to push the ice cream side with embarrassing marketing ploys, such as TV commercials and neon shirts.



The first half of the book details the commonplace tragedies of young adulthood. It primarily deals with fourteen-year-old brother Holden, who is “secretly” gay, although his family are all aware and just waiting for him to declare it. Fern is very close to her brother and is dealing with her own feelings of confusion while she sorts out how she truly feels about her best friend, Ran. Fern is also a witness to her brother’s bullies on the school bus, and when Fern tries to put a stop to it, finds that the bus driver is just as bad as the bullies. It is an important moment for Fern, realizing that adults can be worse than kids. Thus, Fern takes matters into her own hands, punching one of the bullies in the face. From there, Fern and Holden decide to no longer ride the bus to school.

One of Fern’s parents’ marketing ploys is a TV commercial, starring the whole family, in which Charlie declares “See you at Hawwee’s!” This iconic line makes him — and his family, by extension — a local celebrity. (Although, often people refer to him as the cute girl on TV.) Fern often spends her afternoons at the restaurant, doing homework and watching her baby brother, while her other siblings and parents run the restaurant. On one such afternoon, Charlie attempts to play hide and seek with an irritated Fern, who simply wants to be left alone to do her homework. Before she can stop him, Charlie runs into the parking lot and is hit by a car. Horror-struck, Fern and the family race out to the scene to find Charlie popping up and running away, good as new. Fern’s parents’ relief turns to anger, as they scold her for not keeping an eye on him.

The next morning, however, the scene changes. Sara wonders why Charlie hasn’t come to wake them up, and their mother goes into his room to find him dead. Fern hears the wailing but isn’t sure what to make of it until she sees Charlie, limp and lifeless, in his mother’s arms.



Fern, of course, immediately blames herself. If she would have paid Charlie more attention, he wouldn’t be dead. She is convinced that the rest of the family believes this too, pushing her further into the invisible-feeling that she holds throughout most of the book.

The novel then dives into the grieving process; Fern’s mom is more absent than usual and locks herself in her room. Sara slowly transforms from a bossy teenager into a caring and attentive older sister, sticking up for Holden when their father forbids him from seeing an older boy. Fern continues to wrestle with her guilt and grief, but her friends Ran and Cassie are by her side, pulling her out of the cloud of grief and forcing her back into the present with reminders of homework and the homecoming dance.

The novel ends with an uplifting moment: Ran kisses Fern at the dance, and Fern decides to let go of Charlie. While it is clear that the family’s troubles aren’t over, it offers the hopeful ending that is so important in middle-grade novels.