Review of Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures
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Kendal Low
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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 Miller was born with Down syndrome. Although some parents may perceive this as something negative, Donny’s parents and sister did not. They understand that Donny may need help with things some kids may not need help with, and they are more than accommodating. Readers are introduced to Mary Grace, Donny’s older sister, who genuinely seems to possess the kindest heart of any 10-year-old there is. We see as she places her brother before herself, with absolutely no second thought. She doesn’t get impatient with him or love him any less as a result of his condition.
John Miller, Mary Grace and Donny’s dad, practices as a priest and rector of St. James Episcopal Church. The family of four, including their mom Jen, lives in Wichita, Kansas. However, one day John and Jen inform the children that their church has invited them to go to Kenya for two years to perform important, lifesaving work. As the kids cannot go with them, they move to California to live with their grandparents. The kids join a new school, and while it is mostly a great experience for them, the readers are shown – specifically by a character named Justin – that kids can be mean, and it is better to educate them rather than retaliate against them. This adequately expresses the considerable importance of parents teaching their kids kindness and understanding from a young age, as they are extremely susceptible to their parents’ beliefs.
Catherine Anna Pepe has authored an incredibly endearing and enjoyable story with Donny and Mary Grace’s California Adventures. Not only does this book expose young readers to children with Down syndrome, but it also shows them that just because someone looks different than them, kindness is still important. I believe it is a fantastic way to instill genuine kindness into children from a young age.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found it to be wonderfully sweet and important. I appreciated the way the author used her personal life to directly influence her writing, her having a real brother named Donny with Down syndrome. This book was exceptionally edited, as I found no errors whatsoever adding tremendously to my evident enjoyment. As a result of all the reasons listed above, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
One negative point I possessed is that the author mentions Mary Grace is 10 years old. While shopping for school clothes with her mother, Mary Grace expresses that she wants an item of clothing specifically because it is what "YouTube stars" wear. I wouldn’t think that a 10-year-old would be concerned about those types of things. Anyways, it did not detract from my enjoyment, so I will not deduct a point from my score.
I would recommend this book to children capable of reading books by themselves, as well as to parents looking for something to read to their kids.
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Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Donny Miller was born with Down syndrome. Although some parents may perceive this as something negative, Donny’s parents and sister did not. They understand that Donny may need help with things some kids may not need help with, and they are more than accommodating. Readers are introduced to Mary Grace, Donny’s older sister, who genuinely seems to possess the kindest heart of any 10-year-old there is. We see as she places her brother before herself, with absolutely no second thought. She doesn’t get impatient with him or love him any less as a result of his condition.
John Miller, Mary Grace and Donny’s dad, practices as a priest and rector of St. James Episcopal Church. The family of four, including their mom Jen, lives in Wichita, Kansas. However, one day John and Jen inform the children that their church has invited them to go to Kenya for two years to perform important, lifesaving work. As the kids cannot go with them, they move to California to live with their grandparents. The kids join a new school, and while it is mostly a great experience for them, the readers are shown – specifically by a character named Justin – that kids can be mean, and it is better to educate them rather than retaliate against them. This adequately expresses the considerable importance of parents teaching their kids kindness and understanding from a young age, as they are extremely susceptible to their parents’ beliefs.
Catherine Anna Pepe has authored an incredibly endearing and enjoyable story with Donny and Mary Grace’s California Adventures. Not only does this book expose young readers to children with Down syndrome, but it also shows them that just because someone looks different than them, kindness is still important. I believe it is a fantastic way to instill genuine kindness into children from a young age.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found it to be wonderfully sweet and important. I appreciated the way the author used her personal life to directly influence her writing, her having a real brother named Donny with Down syndrome. This book was exceptionally edited, as I found no errors whatsoever adding tremendously to my evident enjoyment. As a result of all the reasons listed above, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
One negative point I possessed is that the author mentions Mary Grace is 10 years old. While shopping for school clothes with her mother, Mary Grace expresses that she wants an item of clothing specifically because it is what "YouTube stars" wear. I wouldn’t think that a 10-year-old would be concerned about those types of things. Anyways, it did not detract from my enjoyment, so I will not deduct a point from my score.
I would recommend this book to children capable of reading books by themselves, as well as to parents looking for something to read to their kids.
******
Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Pixylations by Joe Laudati
