Review of Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventure
-
Rosemary Aigbede
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 21 Jul 2022, 02:07
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 14
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-rosemary-aigbede.html
- Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
- Reading Device: B0775MV9K2
Review of Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventure
[Following is a volunteer review of "Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventure" by Catherine A. Pepe.]
Donny and Mary Grace’s California Adventures by Catherine Anna Pepe tells the story of ten-year-old Mary Grace Miller and her younger brother, five-year-old Donny Miller, who has Down syndrome. The fictional Donny was inspired by the author's younger brother, Donny(of blessed memory), who also had Down syndrome. The author describes her brother as optimistic and enthusiastic, which are attributes she passes on to the fictional Donny.
Mary Grace and Donny find themselves enjoying their lives in Wichita, Kansas, with their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Miller, when a bombshell is thrown at them. Mr. Miller, the priest and rector of St. James Episcopal Church, is chosen to be a missionary in a small village in Kenya, Africa. That is big news to the Miller family. Mary Grace and Donny will have to stay in California with their grandparents for two years while Mr. and Mrs. Miller are away on missionary work. Donny quickly embraces the positive side of the situation. Mary Grace, however, is not ready to embrace this reality. She finds it hard to accept and understand the decisions her parents made. Despite her sadness, Mary Grace decides to be happy so Donny will not feel sad about their parents leaving. Between making new friends and solving a mystery involving her, Mary Grace soon finds herself enjoying California.
There are several positive aspects to this book, and I will highlight a few. I admire the author’s writing style. As I would expect from every children's book I read or give out to my nieces, this book teaches many valuable lessons. It teaches children how to be kind, empathetic, and forgiving. It also teaches them how to be accepting of other people regardless of how different they may be.
The author also sensitizes children on what bullying is. She teaches children that bullying is not just pushing, shoving, or hitting another child. Bullying can also be verbal or written. Using hurtful words to make someone feel bad is considered bullying. The author explains that bullying is wrong and that there are punishments for people who bully others. The author did a great job of encouraging children to be kind to each other and abstain from bullying. The author also educates children on what a threat is and how threatening someone could attract punishment by the law.
The book was a bit long for me. I feel like certain things in this book could have been omitted to make it shorter. Other than this, I did not dislike anything about this book.
This book was professionally edited. I found zero errors in it. I will give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars because it contains a lot of valuable lessons for children. I recommend this book to children, parents, and grandparents.
******
Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventure
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Donny and Mary Grace’s California Adventures by Catherine Anna Pepe tells the story of ten-year-old Mary Grace Miller and her younger brother, five-year-old Donny Miller, who has Down syndrome. The fictional Donny was inspired by the author's younger brother, Donny(of blessed memory), who also had Down syndrome. The author describes her brother as optimistic and enthusiastic, which are attributes she passes on to the fictional Donny.
Mary Grace and Donny find themselves enjoying their lives in Wichita, Kansas, with their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Miller, when a bombshell is thrown at them. Mr. Miller, the priest and rector of St. James Episcopal Church, is chosen to be a missionary in a small village in Kenya, Africa. That is big news to the Miller family. Mary Grace and Donny will have to stay in California with their grandparents for two years while Mr. and Mrs. Miller are away on missionary work. Donny quickly embraces the positive side of the situation. Mary Grace, however, is not ready to embrace this reality. She finds it hard to accept and understand the decisions her parents made. Despite her sadness, Mary Grace decides to be happy so Donny will not feel sad about their parents leaving. Between making new friends and solving a mystery involving her, Mary Grace soon finds herself enjoying California.
There are several positive aspects to this book, and I will highlight a few. I admire the author’s writing style. As I would expect from every children's book I read or give out to my nieces, this book teaches many valuable lessons. It teaches children how to be kind, empathetic, and forgiving. It also teaches them how to be accepting of other people regardless of how different they may be.
The author also sensitizes children on what bullying is. She teaches children that bullying is not just pushing, shoving, or hitting another child. Bullying can also be verbal or written. Using hurtful words to make someone feel bad is considered bullying. The author explains that bullying is wrong and that there are punishments for people who bully others. The author did a great job of encouraging children to be kind to each other and abstain from bullying. The author also educates children on what a threat is and how threatening someone could attract punishment by the law.
The book was a bit long for me. I feel like certain things in this book could have been omitted to make it shorter. Other than this, I did not dislike anything about this book.
This book was professionally edited. I found zero errors in it. I will give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars because it contains a lot of valuable lessons for children. I recommend this book to children, parents, and grandparents.
******
Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventure
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
