The Big Picture: A Katie Parker Production, Act 3 (Paperback)

~ (Author) "IF I EAT ANY MORE popcorn, I'm gonna hurl..." (more)
Key Phrases: foster grandmother, foster dad, foster mom, Joey Farmer, Bubba's Big Picture, Katie Parker (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Katie Parker is having a bad day. After leaving the drive-in, where her imploding love life was the main attraction, Katie arrives home to a surprise guest. Her mother, a former convict and recovering addict, wants to take Katie away from her family, friends, and church. Now Katie's life will be changed by a series of dramatic choices as she struggles to understand what family and home really means.

A Katie Parker Production series offers teen girls real-world fiction balanced by hope and humor. The Big Picture helps us realize that the difficult chapters in our journey are only part of God's big story for our lives.

From the Back Cover

Bobbie Ann Parker, released from prison, wants to start a new life with her daughter—in a new town. Katie is forced to walk away from In Between, leaving the family she loves, an endangered town drive-in, and a boyfriend who suddenly can’t take his eyes off his ex.

As life with her mom takes a serious nosedive, Katie must rely on her faith to keep it together. Yet God seems to be nowhere around. Can she trust him to see her through, and will her big picture ever include a happily ever after?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: NavPress (March 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600062083
• ISBN-13: 978-1600062087
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #241,767 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying read until the last line., October 12, 2008

By	Novel Teen Book Reviews (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Katie Parker's past closes in on her in The Big Picture, Jenny B. Jones' final volume of A Katie Parker Production. Katie's mom gets out of rehab and wants Katie back. The Scotts drive Katie out to Middleton, Texas, to her mother's mobile home and her new life--or old life, depending on how things go. Katie leaves the Scotts, her best friend, Francis, and her boyfriend, Charlie, and sets forth on a new journey, hoping her mom is ready to make their family work.

From the start tensions are high between Katie and her mom. Katie often finds herself home alone when her mom disappears for days at a time, even missing the social worker's visit. Katie wants her mom to make this work, but she isn't making it a priority. Nor is Charlie making their long-distance friendship a priority, despite his claims to care about her. Katie finds in instant friend in Tate Matthews, who goes out of his way to make Katie feel at home in Middleton. When the situation with her mom escalates and becomes dangerous, Katie is forced to make some hard decisions that will affect her future forever.

This book is a wonderful end to the trilogy. I was concerned about Katie not being with her In Between friends for most of the book, but Tate Matthews was a wonderful surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed his character. My only disappointment was the absence of letters from Katie to Mrs. Smartly, which were my favorite parts of the previous two books. Still, a satisfying read until the last line, The Big Picture shows that happily ever after isn't always perfect, but a girl can get through it with the GOG (grace of God). Highly recommended.

If you haven't read them, you must read books one and two:
In Between: A Katie Parker Production Act 1 and On the Loose: A Katie Parker Production, Act 2

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Big Picture is a Big Winner!!, June 16, 2008

By	Betsy Ann St. Amant "I write for the same rea... (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

Katie Parker is a riot! A realistic, relatable, sarcastic, hilarious girl on the verge of adulthood and all the issues that come with. The best part about Katie is EVERYONE gets her - young teens, college students, moms, middle-aged women, even grannies can relate to something in Katie's life. In fact, one of my favorite characters was Mad Maxine, Katie's crazy foster grandma who gets into more trouble than Katie herself.

I would recommend this series (please, go back and read them in order!) to any teen girl. They're fresh, fun, and full of inspiring themes that don't preach, but rather give subtle undertones of faith. Katie is real - it was hard to put this last book in the series down. I want to save them and let my daughter read them one day. (Okay, so she'll have to wait about 12 years, but hey!) =)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5+++, April 22, 2008

By	d burns "www.bookjunkieconfessions.blogspot.com" (Charleston SC) - See all my reviews

The Big Picture is the third book in the Katie Parker series. I fell in love with Katie Parker on the first page of book one. Book two was even better. Now, The Big Picture is my favorite of all three. You'll laugh and cry, sometimes both at the same time. Filled with characters that will steal your heart, you'll hate to tell them goodbye on the last page.
Katie Parker's struggles touched me deeply and filled with me a sense of hope and purpose. Try this series, you will not be disappointed.