Review of Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures

[Rocky Ellery James Tumbelaka]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures" by Catherine A. Pepe.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Donny and Mary Grace’s California Adventures by Catherine A. Pepe is a lovely children's book that tells the story of Mary Grace and her brother Donny, who had Down Syndrome. One day, their parents were assigned missionary duties to Kenya, Africa. Mary Grace and Donny were then sent to California to live on the ranch with their grandparents. Donny, being an optimistic and enthusiastic boy, loves the idea of a new adventure. Mary Grace, on the other hand, didn't like that she had to leave her friends and all the things she loved in Wichita. At first, it was hard for Mary Grace, but with the support of her loving grandparents and her new friend Penelope, Mary Grace starts to feel like she belongs until the note appears. Someone is bullying Mary Grace! But who? How will Mary Grace deal with it? And how can the Grandma Gang help her?

What I like the most about this book are the values it shares. Being a children’s book, the story is pretty straightforward, but the author is still able to insert a sense of mystery into it. That way, the book becomes much more fun to read. The book mainly shares about accepting others who had special needs, mainly children with Down Syndrome. They may be a bit different and need special help, but inside they are wonderful and unique individuals. Donnie has great memories and an infectious positivity that makes others around him feel happy. He is special in every sense of the word.

Another important thing the book shares is bullying. I just love how the adults and teachers deal with bullying in this book. They protect the victim and also the bully. Children who bully other have a problem of their own and instead of punishing them hard and embarrassing them, the teachers and adults in this book help them by raising their self-esteem and self-confidence but still teaches them that they have to pay the consequences of their action. I'm not going into detail on the how because you have to read the book for yourself if you want to find out.

I found nothing to dislike about the book, but I was expecting that Donnie would play a more central role in the story. Being the one with Down Syndrome and how the book emphasizes how special he is, Donnie looks like he is only a supporting character. I was expecting to read how he would react when he was bullied and how he would cope with the situation. But the story focuses more on Mary Grace’s struggle to solve the mystery of her bullying without telling Donny to protect him.

I gladly rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The book is professionally edited and shares a lot of important values, making it a fun and educative book to read. That is why I highly recommend this book to children over the age of eight to enjoy and learn from it. Teachers and parents could also learn a lot from this book

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Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures
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[Hager Salem]

I like that this book has many values to offer to little guys. Eventually, that's what you would expect from a children's book.

[Velson julliey]

What an amazing review you've got here, nice job.