Review of Donny, Mary Grace and the Ugly Marbles

[Korey Ann]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Donny, Mary Grace and the Ugly Marbles" by Catherine A. Pepe.]

---

5 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

“Donny, Mary Grace and the Ugly Marbles” by Catherine Anna Pepe is an adorable children’s mystery. The story follows Mary Grace, a fifth-grade girl, and Donny, a 5-year-old boy with Down Syndrome, as they solve a new mystery in their Great Grandma's condo. While Donny waits to play marbles with his friend Ed, a thirteen-year-old boy who attends a Special Education school, he and his sister are asked to drop off a box to Ed’s room by the doorman. Donny then discovers that the package is already open! Donny and Mary Grace find something in that box that leads them on a grand and dangerous adventure. Will they be able to solve the exciting mystery with the help of some friends?
Not only was the writing and editing superb, I did not find one grammatical error. I liked this story and could not put the book down. It’s very inclusive and perfect for children. I liked how the book has a main character with Down Syndrome, which I have not encountered before. Also, I liked how the book shows how Mary Grace supports Donny and lets him try to figure out things independently instead of doing everything for him. The plot and subplots are well thought out, and the characters are well-developed. One of the subplots even helped the characters understand how to get people to work together and accept each other the way they are. The book is chock-full of great morals that are important for children to learn, like love, friendship, acceptance, honesty, and teamwork. The love and support that the siblings have for each other is heartwarming. Seeing the different support systems that can make up families is awesome. I would rate this story five stars out of five. I would recommend this to all my parent friends and elementary teacher friends.

******
Donny, Mary Grace and the Ugly Marbles
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon