Sunday, December 4, 2011

Cliques, hicks, and ugly sticks Confessions of April Grace by K D McCrite ~ review


Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (December 6, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1400318262
  • ISBN-13: 978-1400318261

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Just when April Grace thought the drama was over . . .
After an automobile accident, Isabel St. James-resident drama coach and drama queen-needs help putting together the church play. Mama insists April Grace and Myra Sue will help. April's fall is now devoted to spending every afternoon with Isabel and Myra Sue-if anyone is as big of a drama queen as Isabel, it's Myra Sue. Plus, she's dumb. (Okay, not dumb, but "older sister dumb.") If that's not enough, Isabel is wreaking havoc in the community trying to get Rough Creek Road paved, the new boy at school will not leave her alone, and then Mama drops the biggest bombshell of all . . . April Grace is no longer going to be the baby of the family . . .
Girls will completely relate to April and love her sense of humor as she deals with siblings, boys, and the many changes that come with growing up.
My take on this book:
This book takes place during the fall of 1986. April Grace Reilly is eleven and just starting sixth grade at Cedar Ridge Junior High. She had been looking forward to junior high for quite a while and thought her first day would be a memorable experience but boy was she wrong! Turns out there is a new clique in school and April Grace is being excluded, thing is the leader is or was a friend of hers. Not only that her mother is sick and when April Grace learns what's wrong with her mother things are going to change dramatically. Add to the fact that their new neighbors are remodeling their house and are staying with the Reilly's temporary only adds to the many things going on in April Grace's life. 
Once I started reading this book I realized that it was actually the second book in a series but actually it didn't matter because there was enough background information to keep me from feeling lost. Geared toward tween girls this is a quick read about the ups and downs of growing up as we follow April Grace thru several months of her sixth grade year. I really enjoyed seeing things thru the eyes of April Grace, she seemed like such a grounded person, she was easy to connect with and was often very funny. I loved the country feel of the book and some of the references to things in the eighties really took me back in time, but these references also made the book feel a bit outdated as well. Overall a middle of the road read for me, while I liked it I just didn't love it. 
3/5
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review.

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