Review of Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures
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Hubre De Klerk
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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.]
This book was dedicated to Donald Woodward Burcham, otherwise known as Donny. He was the brother of the author, who was fourteen years older than him. She wrote this book in his memory because he changed their lives forever. Donny was born with Down syndrome, and the doctors recommended that he be placed in an institution or special needs home. Anyone can only imagine how this affected his parents, two sisters, and brother. They were devastated, as they were also told he may never be normal, have a normal life, or even live very long. His parents decided against what the doctors recommended. They took him home and decided to help him, support him, and give him the best life they could.
Donny, with the help of medical science and the amazing support of his family, surprised everyone. He lived until the age of fifty-three and took the whole family and everyone involved in their lives on a miraculous adventure. Although this book is fiction, some of the content is based on real-life events and people. This book starts with a heart-racing scene. I believe this has happened at least once to every parent out there: losing their child in a crowded place. In this story, Donny and his sister, Mary Grace, live in Wichita, Kansas, with their parents. Their parents were asked to go to Africa for two years as missionaries, and they decided it would be best if the children stayed in school and were stable. That meant that Donny and Mary Grace would need to go stay with their grandparents in California. Donny loved his previous visits to his grandparents, and he was very excited when he heard the news, but Mary Grace struggled with this a lot. Adding trying to fit into a new school, making new friends, and being bullied to the mix wasn’t the best combination.
This book was easy to read and relatable. The events were told in such detail that it felt as if I were right there with them. There was a lot of fun and humor in this book, but also heartache and emotional rollercoasters. I like that bullying was addressed in this book, as it is everywhere and very unnecessary, although I have also learned there is usually a reason behind their behavior—especially with kids. I enjoyed how Mary Graced decided to handle the bullying and that she had the trust to speak with her grandmother about it, even though she was scared of what would happen. She gave a spin on bullying that can help a lot of other children, and that might just help to stop it entirely. In this book, you can clearly see and feel the love and respect this family has for each other. One of my favorite parts was definitely when Donny took an idiom phrase quite literally, as well as Mary Grace’s inner strength and maturity for her age. This story just proved again how important a strong support structure is in anyone’s life.
I loved absolutely everything in this book and how it kept me intrigued and excited about what would happen next. I found zero errors in this book, which leads me to believe that it has been professionally edited. I rate Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures by Catherine A. Pepe 5 out of 5 stars. It was an absolutely amazing book to read and to see how a family and community are supposed to interact together. There is a lot to learn from this story about family values, respecting each other, and just being decent human beings. I also learned a new word during my reading: persnickety, which is like being very picky about certain things. I believe I have found my new favorite word of the month.
I would recommend this book to young children who are still learning how to approach people, respect others, and understand that bullying is completely unacceptable. Another thing that grabbed my attention was how Donny greeted every single day with, "This is the best day of my life!" I believe more of us should wake up with this motto each day and believe in it! I believe that by focusing on the good in life and attacking each day with positivity, you can only enrich and improve your life and outlook. Donny definitely has this going for him and engulfs everyone who comes in contact with him with that same love and positive outlook. Let’s strive to be more like Donny and his family!
******
Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
This book was dedicated to Donald Woodward Burcham, otherwise known as Donny. He was the brother of the author, who was fourteen years older than him. She wrote this book in his memory because he changed their lives forever. Donny was born with Down syndrome, and the doctors recommended that he be placed in an institution or special needs home. Anyone can only imagine how this affected his parents, two sisters, and brother. They were devastated, as they were also told he may never be normal, have a normal life, or even live very long. His parents decided against what the doctors recommended. They took him home and decided to help him, support him, and give him the best life they could.
Donny, with the help of medical science and the amazing support of his family, surprised everyone. He lived until the age of fifty-three and took the whole family and everyone involved in their lives on a miraculous adventure. Although this book is fiction, some of the content is based on real-life events and people. This book starts with a heart-racing scene. I believe this has happened at least once to every parent out there: losing their child in a crowded place. In this story, Donny and his sister, Mary Grace, live in Wichita, Kansas, with their parents. Their parents were asked to go to Africa for two years as missionaries, and they decided it would be best if the children stayed in school and were stable. That meant that Donny and Mary Grace would need to go stay with their grandparents in California. Donny loved his previous visits to his grandparents, and he was very excited when he heard the news, but Mary Grace struggled with this a lot. Adding trying to fit into a new school, making new friends, and being bullied to the mix wasn’t the best combination.
This book was easy to read and relatable. The events were told in such detail that it felt as if I were right there with them. There was a lot of fun and humor in this book, but also heartache and emotional rollercoasters. I like that bullying was addressed in this book, as it is everywhere and very unnecessary, although I have also learned there is usually a reason behind their behavior—especially with kids. I enjoyed how Mary Graced decided to handle the bullying and that she had the trust to speak with her grandmother about it, even though she was scared of what would happen. She gave a spin on bullying that can help a lot of other children, and that might just help to stop it entirely. In this book, you can clearly see and feel the love and respect this family has for each other. One of my favorite parts was definitely when Donny took an idiom phrase quite literally, as well as Mary Grace’s inner strength and maturity for her age. This story just proved again how important a strong support structure is in anyone’s life.
I loved absolutely everything in this book and how it kept me intrigued and excited about what would happen next. I found zero errors in this book, which leads me to believe that it has been professionally edited. I rate Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures by Catherine A. Pepe 5 out of 5 stars. It was an absolutely amazing book to read and to see how a family and community are supposed to interact together. There is a lot to learn from this story about family values, respecting each other, and just being decent human beings. I also learned a new word during my reading: persnickety, which is like being very picky about certain things. I believe I have found my new favorite word of the month.
I would recommend this book to young children who are still learning how to approach people, respect others, and understand that bullying is completely unacceptable. Another thing that grabbed my attention was how Donny greeted every single day with, "This is the best day of my life!" I believe more of us should wake up with this motto each day and believe in it! I believe that by focusing on the good in life and attacking each day with positivity, you can only enrich and improve your life and outlook. Donny definitely has this going for him and engulfs everyone who comes in contact with him with that same love and positive outlook. Let’s strive to be more like Donny and his family!
******
Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: In the End by Ken Saik
