Saving Grace [Hardcover]

Katherine Spencer (Author)

Book Description

Series: Saving Grace | Publication Date: October 1, 2006

When Grace Stanley’s brother is killed in a car accident just before her junior year of high school, her life is split in two: before and after Matt died. Before, she loved to draw, play lacrosse, laugh, and listen to loud music with her best friends. And after, she doesn’t see much point in anything--not school, not her friends or parents, not herself, and certainly not God. Then along comes Philomena, a mysterious girl who is always popping up unexpectedly . . . and who just might be exactly what Grace needs.
           

Saving Grace is the story of a vulnerable and remarkable girl who is struggling through profound loss, figuring out her faith and her place in the universe--and making plenty of mistakes along the way.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–Grace Stanley returns to high school a different girl after a tragic summer during which her brother died in a car crash running an errand in her place. She drops her friends and catches the notice of a fast, wealthy crowd. Drinking, designer shopping with her emergency credit card, clubbing on a fake ID, and making out with basketball captain Dylan all seem to blur her pain. While her parents insist that church, charity, and speaking with their pastor make them better able to cope, Grace feels angry and estranged from God. Her parents condone a church concert to benefit the homeless and honor her brother's memory, but Grace feels betrayed that the remnants of Matt's band would play without him. Meanwhile, her math grade plummets, relations with her family weaken, and she loses face with the in-crowd by getting sick after drinking and drugging. Enter Philomena, an odd new girl at school, to save the day: a self-proclaimed sort of guardian angel sent to help Grace pull it together and restore her faith. The plot is predictable, and characterization remains two-dimensional; while the writing is serviceable, the redemptive theme is heavy-handed and the ending is saccharine. Better choices about losing a beloved family member are Sarah Dessen's The Truth about Forever (Viking, 2004) and Sis Deans's Every Day and All the Time (Holt, 2003).–Suzanne Gordon, Peachtree Ridge High School, Suwanee, GA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

After Grace's brother, Matt, dies in an automobile accident, her mother buries herself in church activities and her father retreats to a basement hideaway. Left on her own, Grace has difficulty navigating her grief. She deserts her longtime friends, falls in with a fast crowd, finds escape in alcohol, and neglects her schoolwork. Enter a strange, prescient girl named Philomena, who seems to pop up at pivotal moments. Philomena's appearances are few at first, but as Grace reaches a crisis, they become more frequent. With Philomena's help, Grace corrects her course and comes to understand that her helper is not an ordinary teen. The religious underpinnings, not fully revealed until the conclusion, may surprise some readers, considering the book's edgy cover. But those who recognize Spencer as coauthor of the Cape Light series will expect this to have a Christian theme. Direct interested readers to Caroline Cooney's A Friend at Midnight (2006) and the other titles in "Read-alikes: Crises of Faith" [BKL D 15 06] Holly Koelling
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1 edition (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152057404
• ISBN-13: 978-0152057404
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,061,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, March 2, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saving Grace (Hardcover)

After the death of her brother, Grace Stanley starts acting strange. She dumps her old friends, starts drinking, starts lying to everyone, starts hanging out with the popular kids, flunking her classes, missing study sessions, and skipping school.

But then something happens; Grace just snaps. Later, her parents confront her about missing classes and flunking math. They tell her that this isn't like her and that they didn't realize that she was having so much trouble.

She feels like she can't talk to them because they're always at church. But then Grace meets a girl named Philomena. She helps Grace with everything. See what happens. Find out what makes Grace say "enough!"

Grace has a lot of feelings and you get to hear them through her point of view. I think this book was excellent. It was thrilling and I didn't want to put it down. I recommended it to all of my friends when I was finished; it made you want to read more and more! I would definitely give this book 5 stars and a Gold Award!!

Reviewed by: Frizzie

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent story for ages 12 and older, December 10, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saving Grace (Hardcover)

Grace's parents say she's out of control and her old friends don't like her - but Grace thinks she's a whole new chic person and is happy with her new friends in Katherine Spencer's SAVING GRACE, an excellent story for ages 12 and older about change, self-image, and coming to grips with a brother's death.