Review of Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures

[Shem Murundu]

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

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5 out of 5 stars

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Donny Miller, a special child born with Down syndrome, stays in Kansas with his elder sister, Mary Grace, and their parents, John and Jen Miller. The Millers live a happy, contented life until the World Health Organization and the Episcopal Church, of which Mr. Miller serves as a rector, select Mr. And Mrs. Miller to go on a two-year mission trip to Africa. Since the couple does not want to disrupt their children's education, they decide it's best to leave their two young ones with their grandparents, who live in California.

However, a change of school comes with its challenges, as Mary Grace and her new friend, Penelope, are bullied. Mary Grace, who loves solving mysteries, sees this as another opportunity to solve a mysterious puzzle and find out who her tormentor is. She collaborates with her grandmother, Cathy, and her group of granny friends, who are collectively nicknamed the Grandma Gang, to crack this puzzle. The Grandma Gang earned this name after they successfully solved a mystery back in the day. Now with the backup of these strong and wise women, Mary Grace sets out to catch the person behind the offensive and threatening notes. Will they succeed? Who might the bully be? Why would they do this to such kind-hearted and respectful children like Donny and his sister? Get a copy of Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures by Catherine A. Pepe to find out.

I was fascinated by Mary Grace’s sharp wit. She seemed wise beyond her years. My heart was warmed by her kindness, empathy, and the way she put her brother Donny’s needs and welfare before her own. She was the one offended, yet she went over and above to ensure that her bullies weren't alienated or shamed. This was so admirable.

Donny’s enthusiasm, optimism, and easy-to-please demeanor were a thing of beauty. His positive energy was so infectious, not only to his family, his friends, and their fellow passengers on their flight but also to readers like me. I was overjoyed by the kids’ (especially Donny’s) childish, playful nature. For someone who wasn't expected to be like other 'normal’ kids, Donny was so happy always, and instead of being a source of gloom to his loved ones, he was their source of joy! He was so optimistic and enthusiastic that even his 'normal’ sister wished she was like him! That in itself spoke a lot about Donny.

"He (Donny) walked around swinging his arms like the monkeys and making monkey noises. 'Donny, please don't do everything the monkeys do,’ Mary Grace said, pointing to the monkey throwing his own poop at the window.” This, among other instances of humor in the story, had me cracking up. I loved Mary Grace’s "holey jeans” pun!

The Grandma Gang was another commendable feature of the book. I appreciated their great wisdom in solving both their friend Lyndsey’s burglary mystery and Mary Grace’s bullying case. Their wisdom and tact ensured that everyone, both the offenders and the victims, got help. They went deeper and got to the root cause of the offenders’ personal troubles, and this brought out the silver linings in the two mysteries they helped solve. Other great aspects of the book were Tiffany’s honesty and genuine remorse, Miss Root’s fantastic discretion in meting out punishment, and the teachers’ gracious handling of the wrongdoers.

The book’s editor deserves a round of applause for this error-free, exceptionally-edited novel. The story was so amazing that I found nothing to dislike. This is why I rate the Millers’ incredible story 5 out of 5 stars.. This book is perfect for kids, their parents/guardians, and grandparents. Since it's also about bullying at school, I believe it would be an instructive read for teachers because it offers tremendous insight to teachers on how to handle bullying cases to the benefit of both the perpetrators and victims of bullying.

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Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures
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[Kavita Shah]

Thank you for a wonderful review Blackstenius! You said right, Mary Grace was beyond her years. Donny was sweet and happy, and Mary Grace was the caring, older one. Kudos to the author for taking inspiration from her life and writing this amazing book.

[Sarah Zain]

Your way of describing your impression of the story is wonderful and elaborate, and I agree with your point of view about Mary, as I am a fan of her character despite her young age. Great review Blackstenius.

[Shem Murundu]

Thank you for a wonderful review Blackstenius! You said right, Mary Grace was beyond her years. Donny was sweet and happy, and Mary Grace was the caring, older one. Kudos to the author for taking inspiration from her life and writing this amazing book.

Thank you Kavita.

[Shem Murundu]

Your way of describing your impression of the story is wonderful and elaborate, and I agree with your point of view about Mary, as I am a fan of her character despite her young age. Great review Blackstenius.

Thanks Sarah.