Publishers Weekly
In Epstein's (the Groovy Girls series) powerful and poignant novel, her first for teenage readers, 10th-grader Grace narrates her exploration of life's conundrums as she faces difficult choices in every close relationship, some of which are literally a matter of life and death. Reeling from her father's sudden departure from their family and adulterous relationship with a church friend, Grace feels abandoned by him and by God, left to confront complex issues alone. Should she tell her older sister, Lolly, that Lolly's boyfriend is cheating? Can she support her overwhelmed and exhausted mother and ever speak to her father again? How should she cope with the new feelings she's having for her best friend, Eric? And most importantly, when the terminally ill Mr. Sands, her favorite patient at her after-school nursing home job, asks her to help him die, what is the moral response? Unsentimental but caring intergenerational relationships and spot-on adolescent banter provide humor and hope in this stellar addition to the coming-of-age genre, which offers neither judgments nor simplistic answers. Ages 12–up. (May)
School Library Journal
Gr 8–10—Fifteen-year-old Grace's life is in turmoil following her father's abandonment of the family. She takes a part-time job as an aide in a nursing home and meets Mr. Sands, who is suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease. They become friends and have fun together, but soon he gives Grace a packet of pills and asks her to help him die in this novel (Dial, 2010) by Robin Epstein. Grace learns about the disease and the pain Mr. Sands will suffer before he finally passes away. On top of this, Grace is facing changes in her relationship with family members and her best friend, Eric. Euthanasia is a serious topic and must be handled carefully. It seems somewhat unrealistic for an elderly man to ask a teenager he barely knows to assist in his suicide. Also, can Grace truly understand the ramifications of such an act? Part of what makes the scenario difficult to accept and somewhat jarring is the very youthful voice of Cassandra Morris who sounds more like a child of 10 or 11. Novels like Terry Trueman's Stuck in Neutral (HarperCollins, 2000), Ann Claire LeZotte's T4 (Houghton, Mifflin, 2008), or Lois Lowry's The Giver (Houghton, Mifflin 1993) might be better choices to begin a conversation about euthanasia.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
SEPTEMBER 2010 - AudioFile
When Grace Manning takes an after-school job at a local nursing home, little does she know that resident Frank Sands and his wife, Isabel, will have a profound effect upon her life. Grace grows into her new job and takes a particular interest in Frank, who is suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Should she honor his request for Grace to help him end his life? Cassandra Morris flourishes in the role of a high school student who is taking on both the small issues of family and school relationships and the huge issue of life and death. Morris can be a breezy, high-spirited, and sarcastic Grace in the moments when the teen is full of confidence or a despondent Grace when she wrestles with decisions. As narrator, Morris moves the story along steadily, letting Grace herself impact the listener. A.R. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
Fifteen-year-old Grace is sure that most of life's problems can be solved by eating pancakes. They're what she eats when Mr. Sands, a resident of the nursing home where she works, asks her to kill him with an overdose of pills before he succumbs to ALS. Since Grace's father left, Mr. Sands has been her father figure. While Grace grapples with Mr. Sands's request, she's also facing new romantic feelings for her longtime best friend, Eric. Within her immediate family, she alone holds the secret about her sister's cheating boyfriend, and she misses her newly divorced father. As Mr. Sands's condition deteriorates, Grace knows that she has to make her decision, one that is further complicated by the relationship she has developed with Mr. Sand's wife. Pancakes as a metaphor may be a new idea, but here it comes across as silly rather than philosophical. Too many plotlines get tangled, and their resolutions are largely dissatisfying. With a tighter focus on the plot and less obvious symbolism, the fluid dialogue and sassy side of Grace's personality would shine. (Fiction. YA)
