Monday, December 12, 2011

Clicques, Hicks, and Ugly Sticks:Confessions of April Grace by K.D. McCrite

Cliques, Hicks, and Ugly Sticks: Confessions of April Grace by K.D. McCrite is a masterful following of the stream of consciousness of a young girl in middle school through the unique challenges faced by her family. Living in a primarily Christian town in rural America, the community befriends a couple who recently moved into the area.  This couple is portrayed as decidedly non-Christian. The wife (Isabel), in particular, is portrayed as self absorbed.  Although the family of April Grace allows the couple to move into their home, Isabel has an attitude of wanting to be served.  The lack of gratefulness and the sense of entitlement she exhibits is in sharp contrast to that of the community where she has found herself.  McCrite shares April Grace’s opinions of this woman with such childlike emotion that, if it weren’t for the skill of writing, I would believe a tween girl actually wrote this book. The sharp contrast of the attitudes of the world versus the attitudes that we are supposed to have a Christians is startling raw, but the message is well made.  I found myself examining my own attitudes as I read this book.  In the end of the book, the couple finds themselves becoming a part of the community.  The reader sees Isabel becoming more malleable as she finds that she can play an important part in the community and as she realizes how much the community has done for her.  The reader sees changes take place in Isabel, that although an acceptance of Christ is not indicated, a change of her heart condition has taken place. This book illustrates an excellent example of how Christians should be the “salt” and “light” to those with which we come into contact.  I would recommend this book to tween readers with the caveat that, although not detailed, subjects such as pregnancy and issues surrounding pregnancy are discussed.

As I read this book I kept in mind the audience for which is was written and I wondered why there are so few book of this caliber available for the tween set.  The issues surrounding pregnancy in the book involve a married couple and are very focused on April Grace’s concern for her mother’s health and her fear that her mother could die.  April Grace’s mother experiences fatigue, paleness, and nausea, but because April Grace has not been told of her mother’s condition in the beginning, the writing revolves around her fears that something is very wrong. Sometime after April Grace is told that she is going to be a big sister, her mother is diagnosed with preeclampsia and requires bed rest.  The artful way this is handled should not present a problem for most tween girls.  Girls who have younger siblings can probably relate to April Grace’s fears during her mother’s pregnancy.  The author handles this issue by showing how April Grace’s mother retains the heart of a servant even though she needs to be served.  It is a fine portrayal of humility that is inspired by reality. In every issue that April Grace encounters, the reader sees that emotion is not wrong, but that our responses, our decisions, are crucial.
I am allowing my own 11 year old daughter to read this book.  She read up to chapter 7 in one sitting and was so involved in the book that I had difficulty getting her to put it down. I intend to add this book to her reading library as well.  If you are looking for a fiction for your tween daughter that deals with real life issues such as relationships and attitudes and shows the response that Christians should have, this is the book.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

1 comment:

  1. Thank you, Tara, for such a lovely, warm review of my book. It means so much to know what I've written has reached an appreciative audience. God bless!

    K.D. McCrite

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