Grace Happens [Paperback]

Jan Czech (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2007

Grace’s mother is a movie star. World travel, famous people, and movie sets are her life. So are bodyguards, paparazzi, and constant chaos. Grace dreams of a normal life with regular school and real friends. She also dreams of knowing her father, whose identity her mother has never revealed. When her secretive mother announces they’re going to Martha’s Vineyard for the summer, Grace doesn’t know the island holds the keys to her family history. But once the connection becomes clear, she can’t resist searching for some answers. Grace makes some surprising moves along the way, from making a friend and piercing her ears to developing a strong suspicion of who her father is.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10-Grace has a movie-star mother and lifestyle. The teen doesn't have any friends because she doesn't live anywhere long enough to establish a relationship. Grace dreams of a life consisting of a home, friends, and both parents. She knows that her father is out there somewhere, but her mother refuses to discuss him. Summering on Martha's Vineyard, where her mother attended high school, she begins to suspect who her father might be and begins to take matters into her own hands. Despite a predictable, somewhat didactic plot that begins slowly, teens will be drawn into this novel.-Kristen M. Todd, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 8-11. Fifteen-year-old Grace lives an unusual life. Her mother, Constance Meredith, is an A-list movie star in high demand and ruthlessly hunted by the paparazzi. Grace has never had a real home or attended a regular school; she grew up on movie sets and is homeschooled by a live-in teacher. Her life may not be normal, but it isn't all that bad. It could almost be perfect if Grace only had two things: the chance to experience a typical teenage life, even for a little while, and a way to overcome her mother's reluctance to share the name of Grace's father. However, when Constance needs a rest and brings Grace to Martha's Vineyard for the summer, getting what she wants may not be quite as difficult as Grace originally thought. Fitting comfortably into the chick-lit genre, this is a light and pleasantly predictable first-person story. Hand it to girls who enjoy Meg Cabot's Princess books and other stories about children of media celebrities, such as Gaby Triana's Backstage Pass (2004) and Rose Wilkins' So Super Starry (2004). Holly Koelling
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Speak (April 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142407526
• ISBN-13: 978-0142407523
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,260,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A bit of mystery, a lot of fun, June 21, 2005

By 

Reader (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grace Happens (Hardcover)

GRACE HAPPENS is a wonderful debut novel. The title character, Grace, is the teenage daughter of a movie star. It sounds like the perfect life, but Grace can hardly think anything is perfect when she has idea who her father is and her mother refuses talk about it. The story takes place over a summer vacation on Martha's Vinyard, as Grace slowly pieces together the mystery surrounding her birth.

Grace is an appealing main character surrounded by a warm and quirky supporting cast. The book is fast-paced, well-written, and engaging.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic, July 13, 2005

By 

Meme - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grace Happens (Hardcover)

I think that the portrayel (<spelled wrong i think)of a girl with a famous mother is realistic and imaginable. I love books where the character analyzes themself and trys to figure out who they are or an aspect of their life in which they do not understand, in a way it changes them and part of their unique personality is because of it. I loved this book it is a very good book to read for a day in the park or outside by a tree or something like that, it makes the story even more surreal and exciting. Read! the descriptions made me want to go to that place (don't want to give away anything so you will have to find out what i mean by READING!). It made me realize what i take for granted, the life i have with the privacy, knowing that atleast it won't turn up in a tabloid. I felt at ease reading this book like i was there in the breeze. READ!

4.0 out of 5 stars grace happened, May 1, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Grace Happens (Hardcover)

grace's mother is the famous movie star constance meredith. but grace doesn't want to live in the lime light, she just wants to be a normal teenager, and she wants to know who her dad is. she thinks she might finally might get some awnsers when she, tofee, camilla, and her mother go to martha's vineyard. but since her mother is taking so much time to tell her. grace desides to take matters into her own hands. this is a really good book!! i hope jan m. czech write another story about grace.