Gracies Girl (Hardcover)

by Ellen Wittlinger (Author), Janet Hamlin (Illustrator) "It was the last week of the summer, and I felt like I should be getting ready, but there I was on Ethan's back porch..." (more)
Key Phrases: new shelter, Derby Street, Kimberly Pringle, The Annex (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Sixth grade is about to begin, and Bess Cunningham is gearing up to be cool. With a bunch of wild new outfits and an important job in the school play, Bess is convinced she'll get a lot of attention--at least more than she gets from her overbooked parents. With a lawyer dad and a teacher mom, both of whom are passionate about volunteering for a soup kitchen, Bess sometimes feels like she would have to eat out of a Dumpster before they'd notice her. But when she meets an elderly woman named Gracie who actually does eat other people's discarded food, she begins to realize there are real human faces on the scruffy people her parents serve at the soup kitchen. Soon she and her best friend, Ethan, are deeply entrenched in Gracie's life, and in helping establish a shelter for homeless women. Bess is amazed to discover that even without her crazy wardrobe, she has managed to make new friends and make a difference.

For preteens on the never-ending search for identity, middle school can be a brutal place. Wanting to be noticed, wanting to be invisible, wanting to be grown up, wanting to be a kid...life isn't easy. Watching Bess's revelations unfurl will be tremendously helpful for kids on the cusp of adolescence. Not surprisingly, as she and her friends help others, they begin to feel better about themselves, and, guess what--their popularity grows as well. As shown in Hard Love, Ellen Wittlinger's ability to tackle tough issues from tricky perspectives is memorable and entertaining. (Ages 9 to 13) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
At the onset of her sixth-grade year, narrator Bess's campaign to be "cool" includes reinventing her wardrobe around some funky vintage clothes. It's while sifting through such items in a thrift shop that she first meets Gracie, a homeless woman, and later, while helping serve Sunday dinner at a homeless shelter (at her parents' insistence), Bess sees her again. Gracie inspires Bess to rethink her priorities ("It made me kind of sick to think about her sleeping outside someplace, her big, old shoes poking into the sidewalk"); she becomes less concerned with her own social status as she searches for a way to keep Gracie fed and sheltered. In this bittersweet novel, Wittlinger (Hard Love; What's in a Name) offers a convincing look at a middle schooler's awakening to social problems in her community. Although readers may sympathize with Gracie, they will likely relate more to Bess and her day-to-day trials: getting snubbed by the popular crowd, finding out the boy she likes is more interested in her best friend and fighting for the attention of her charity-minded parents. Unfortunately, the book's strong political statement tends to overpower the subtler, equally relevant message regarding Bess's internal maturation. Ages 8-12. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1st edition (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689822499
• ISBN-13: 978-0689822490
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,854,307 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gracie's Girl, July 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Gracie's Girl (Paperback)

Bess is preparing to go to middle school and she wants to be popular. In her effort to be "popular" she tries wearing outragous clothes and particpating in the school play. Bess's parents are very involved in volunteering at a homeless shelter. At first she resists assisting her parents, but eventually becomes more involved and committed to procurring a building for homeless women. Bess also befriends a homeless woman and learns to empathize with her plight. In the end Bess does get noticed; however, now popularity is not her primary goal. This book is realistic and does an excellent job of protraying adolescents.

Gracie's Girl was a fast reading book that should appeal to adolescents. It also shows that pre-teens and teens CAN make a difference and help others.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sad and Happy Book, June 27, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Gracie's Girl (Paperback)

This book was an awesome book. The characters of this book are:
THE FAMILY
Bess Cunningham -A caring girl who wants to look different for middle school.
Mom - Bess' caring mother who works at a homeless shelter.
Dad - Bess' father who also works at the homeless shelter by cooking the food.
Willy Cunningham -Bess' annoying brother who help Bess to help a poor old lady.
THE FRIENDS
Ethan Reilly - Bess' friend who likes to play monopoly and who likes to help at the shelter.
Jannette - A girl whose mother is making her do a lot of activities.
Gracie Jarvis Battle - A lady who has to sleep on the sidewalk and becomes friends with Bess. (aka the poor old lady)
THE PLOT
Bess works at a shelter with her mom. She meets this old homeless lady who goes to the shelter every day and becomes friends with her. Pretty soon the old lady has a small house. What will happen to the lady? Will she die? Will she live? Most importantly what does Bess learn? Does she become more mature? Does she meet new friends? To find out more about what happens you'll have to read it. I would recommend this book to 10 year olds and up.

Olivia age 11

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME, November 25, 2003

By	sobe (florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gracie's Girl (Paperback)

Sixth grade is about to begin, and Bess Cunningham is gearing up to be cool. With a bunch of wild new outfits and an important job in the school play, Bess is convinced she'll get a lot of attention--at least more than she gets from her overbooked parents. With a lawyer dad and a teacher mom, both of whom are passionate about volunteering for a soup kitchen, Bess sometimes feels like she would have to eat out of a Dumpster before they'd notice her. But when she meets an elderly woman named Gracie who actually does eat other people's discarded food, she begins to realize there are real human faces on the scruffy people her parents serve at the soup kitchen. Soon she and her best friend, Ethan, are deeply entrenched in Gracie's life, and in helping establish a shelter for homeless women. Bess is amazed to discover that even without her crazy wardrobe, she has managed to make new friends and make a difference.