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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Real Substance--A Darn Good Story, October 23, 2011
Misfit McCabe sucks the reader into young Katie McCabe's life as she transitions from her normal, every day life into a new town full of new people. The pace is quick, but I was never left behind for a moment wondering what was happening. Truly a fast, satisfying read. LK Gardner-Griffie writes fluid prose with very few hiccups along the way. The characters in the story are so real, though the mundane actions they take carry weight. I had trouble settling into the story and noticed a few awkward phrases, but after the first few pages, I was hooked. Katie McCabe is a troublemaker, and she knows it. What sets her apart though, is that she doesn't mean to make a mess of things: it just happens. The story starts fast, like a jump into a cool lake. Katie is smoking and drinking with her best friend Timmy out in a shed. Gardner-Griffie shows us Katie at her weakest and strongest. Katie does not get away with anything she does, and yet I cheered on almost all of her decisions, though as bad as some were, it felt good to see her stand up to a bully--and in this case the bully isn't some low brow jock, an interesting twist. Katie McCabe, not living up to the traditions of her family name, doesn't know what she's in for when she starts a ripple through the town with her arrival. Katie is faced with tough choices, and she has to mature rapidly in her ever-changing world. She is dumped from the hands of her frustrated, loving (and sick) father, to her unsuspecting Uncle Charley. Throughout the book Katie zips from one emotion to the next. One minute I was jubilant, the next, I wanted to cry, and right after, I wanted to punch someone: I felt like a teenager again. This story isn't for those who want to read fluff. Misfit McCabe deals with real problems that teens (and adults) can learn from. Katie makes mistakes, and she pays for them, and importantly she learns. Her father and her uncle make mistakes as well: as does her cousin Sarah. Gardner-Griffie lets them make their mistakes, and we, as the reader, benefit from the choices they make and how they right their wrongs; when they make a good choice after learning, I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding! What I enjoyed most from Misfit McCabe is a peek into what it is like to be a teen again--what the problems feel like, the emotional quicksilver--and the desire to read more. I love a book that pulls me through, and Misfit McCabe does exactly that; I was never dragged too fast, nor waiting for something else to happen. Would I recommend this book: yes. Wholeheartedly. I will be ordering Nowhere Feels Like Home, and anxiously awaiting the rest of the series. LK Gardner-Griffie is an excellent writer who knows her audience: teens who want real substance, real characters, accessible language, and above all, a darn good story.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A story for teens that doesn't preach, February 2, 2011
You all know the drill... teen protagonist makes a mistake, suffers the consequences, learns a tidy life lesson and they all live happily every after. This isn't that book. Misfit McCabe makes mistakes all right, lots of them. And yes, the consequences flow fast and furiously. Where this book excels is in the life lesson category. Life doesn't always get tidied up in 200 pages. And perhaps, just perhaps, that's the most important lesson of them all.
Katie McCabe has a lot on her plate. Exiled to her Uncle's house for a crime she most definitely committed, she rebels against the McCabe name by being in turns spiteful, petty, vindictive, and vengeful. In other words, she behaves much like a real teenager would in that situation. Life comes at her fast and furious though, and soon she has to deal with the death of her father, his funeral, and other very real-world situations. Throughout the narrative though, we see a good kid who has been dealt a bad hand. In the end we do get to cheer when she comes to terms with her new situation and rises above her own pettiness to show the first signs of maturity.
I enjoyed LK's book from start to finish, it is well written and fast-paced. When my daughter is a little older, I will definitely give her this book to read, first and foremost because it's a good story that doesn't talk down to teens. Nor does it sugar-coat the teen years, any parent of a teenager will see the truth in Katie even if her trevails are more poignant than most. A well written story that can be enjoyed by teens, or people who ever were teens.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Entertaining Book of Substance, January 14, 2010
I bought Misfit McCabe for my 12 year old daughter to read. I was lucky enough to read it first.
Misfit McCabe is the story of 14 year old Katie McCabe. Katie's mother died when she was very young and her father has his hands full with her mischievous behavior. After Katie and her best friend Timmy burn down a shed, her father sends her to live with his brother Charlie and his family. To make matters worse, Katie's father is ill and is going to the hospital for tests.
Katie does not want to be with Uncle Charlie, his two sons Matt and Mark, and Charlie's niece Sarah. She feels like an outsider in a house full of rules and she plots to make them send her back to her father. To make matters worse, she makes an enemy in record time-- Harvey, Jr. Harvey, Jr.'s father owns the bank and most to the town. Harvey, Jr. wastes no time in throwing this in Katie's face and insulting Katie's family. Katie, not one to back down from a challenge, punches Harvey Jr. in the park-- right in front of 3 football players.
Just as Katie begins to settle into her new home and get a new boyfriend, Tom- one of the football players, she finds out that her father died. With her entire world ripped out from underneath her, Katie struggles to find her place in her new life while struggling to deal with her grief.
I loved this book. Misfit McCabe portrays a 14 year old in accurate light. As the mother of multiple teens, I am qualified to say this. ;-) What I loved about this book is that it was a wonderful story. Although Katie does have a love interest, it is not the entire premise of the book, unlike several book series my 12 year old reads. The true test was whether or not my 12 year old enjoyed the book. She loved it too. She couldn't wait to read book 2 of the series, Nowhere Feels Like Home. My 12 year old cried several times when reading Misfit McCabe, which surprised her. She didn't think a book could affect her that way. It brought up some interesting conversations about being truthful and losing a parent, an experience my daughter could relate to. My daughter has told several of her friends about this book and I have purchased a copy to donate to her school's library.
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