Confessions of April Grace

Gr 4—6—In this story set on a farm in the Ozarks during the 1980s, third-grader April Grace is an observer of human nature. She watches the various people in her daily life, such as her soap-opera-obsessed sister who's more interested in make-up and clothes than in doing her chores. April's patient, nonjudgmental parents don't always do what she thinks they should. For example, when her widowed grandmother starts dating a shifty ex-rancher from Texas, they aren't even suspicious, telling April not to think negatively. Just because they try to be Christian and pattern their lives along the lines of St. Francis Assisi's Prayer for Peace doesn't mean they should close their eyes when her grandmother is in danger of marrying a con artist. Well-developed characters and humorous writing will engage readers wanting to know how it will all turn out. Serious subjects, such as an eating disorder, are handled sensitively, and the religious aspects of the story are subtle. This is a book to hand to readers who enjoyed Jennifer L. Holm's Turtle in Paradise (Random, 2010) and Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Faith, Hope, and Ivy June (Delacorte, 2009).—Tina Martin, Arlington Heights Memorial Library, IL