Review of Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures
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Gabriela Contreras
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Review of Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures
[Following is a volunteer review of "Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures" by Catherine A. Pepe.]
Donny and Mary Grace’s California Adventures by Catherine A. Pepe is a children’s book about family, growth, and trying to be a better person and make others better.
The Miller family, ten-year-old Mary Grace, Donny, Mr., and Mrs. Miller always had a nice time together in Wichita, Kansas. Living in the rectory right next to the St. James Episcopal Church, they had everything they loved close by, College Hill Park and Sedgwick Country Zoo –and the penguins Donny loved seeing. Mr. Miller knew how lucky they were the church assigned them to a parish that could afford a full-time priest, housing, and family time. All that changed at the end of summer, when Mary Grace saw her mom crying in the kitchen and immediately knew something was wrong. She thought about everything that could be happening, somebody was sick, or hurt… or her parents were getting a divorce. Nothing she imagined came close to reality: the bishop had asked Mr. and Mrs. Miller to be missionaries for the Episcopal Church in Africa, living in Kenya for two years and leaving Mary Grace and Donny with their grandparents, in California. They were upset, as they had no idea there was so much to discover in California.
Donny and Mary Grace had good and bad moments, and it was amazing seeing Mary Grace grow as a person with the help of her family and friends. She managed to build strong and real friendships, solve mysteries and handle being bullied better than most adults ever would.
This book has many positive things. I enjoyed reading this book, the bond the Millers have as a family is unique, and it is constructed on love, which is one of the most powerful forces to create relationships. The characters seem real, especially Mary Grace, a child with strong and real emotions, she feels sadness, anger, happiness, and love. She does not hide them, nor understand the emotions, as well as an adult, would, so she is just honest about how she feels. I love that they do mention Donny’s Down Syndrome, but it is not his whole personality like I have seen it happen in other books. The Millers treat Donny with love and care.
This is a children’s book, and I believe it needs more illustrations. Some chapters had illustrations at the end, but I felt there were so many things that children could enjoy seeing and that would help to keep them entertained.
Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. At first, I wanted to deduct a star for the lack of illustrations, as I believe it would enrich the book and it would be helpful for children to not only read about the adventures and lessons but also see them. However, the book has many lessons that make it deserve a full rating. My favorite part of the book is the fact that it teaches the reader not to be afraid of changes, as good things can come from them, and that everyone can turn their life around, sometimes we just need a little help from someone willing to listen to us. The book is also professionally edited, as I only found one minor error.
I recommend this book to children 10-year-old and older, close to Mary Grace’s age. I also recommend it to parents that want to read something nice with their children and like books with great lessons.
******
Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Donny and Mary Grace’s California Adventures by Catherine A. Pepe is a children’s book about family, growth, and trying to be a better person and make others better.
The Miller family, ten-year-old Mary Grace, Donny, Mr., and Mrs. Miller always had a nice time together in Wichita, Kansas. Living in the rectory right next to the St. James Episcopal Church, they had everything they loved close by, College Hill Park and Sedgwick Country Zoo –and the penguins Donny loved seeing. Mr. Miller knew how lucky they were the church assigned them to a parish that could afford a full-time priest, housing, and family time. All that changed at the end of summer, when Mary Grace saw her mom crying in the kitchen and immediately knew something was wrong. She thought about everything that could be happening, somebody was sick, or hurt… or her parents were getting a divorce. Nothing she imagined came close to reality: the bishop had asked Mr. and Mrs. Miller to be missionaries for the Episcopal Church in Africa, living in Kenya for two years and leaving Mary Grace and Donny with their grandparents, in California. They were upset, as they had no idea there was so much to discover in California.
Donny and Mary Grace had good and bad moments, and it was amazing seeing Mary Grace grow as a person with the help of her family and friends. She managed to build strong and real friendships, solve mysteries and handle being bullied better than most adults ever would.
This book has many positive things. I enjoyed reading this book, the bond the Millers have as a family is unique, and it is constructed on love, which is one of the most powerful forces to create relationships. The characters seem real, especially Mary Grace, a child with strong and real emotions, she feels sadness, anger, happiness, and love. She does not hide them, nor understand the emotions, as well as an adult, would, so she is just honest about how she feels. I love that they do mention Donny’s Down Syndrome, but it is not his whole personality like I have seen it happen in other books. The Millers treat Donny with love and care.
This is a children’s book, and I believe it needs more illustrations. Some chapters had illustrations at the end, but I felt there were so many things that children could enjoy seeing and that would help to keep them entertained.
Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. At first, I wanted to deduct a star for the lack of illustrations, as I believe it would enrich the book and it would be helpful for children to not only read about the adventures and lessons but also see them. However, the book has many lessons that make it deserve a full rating. My favorite part of the book is the fact that it teaches the reader not to be afraid of changes, as good things can come from them, and that everyone can turn their life around, sometimes we just need a little help from someone willing to listen to us. The book is also professionally edited, as I only found one minor error.
I recommend this book to children 10-year-old and older, close to Mary Grace’s age. I also recommend it to parents that want to read something nice with their children and like books with great lessons.
******
Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute by Jeff Meyer
