The Possibilities of Sainthood

by Donna Freitas, Emily Bauer (Read by)

Overview

Antonia Lucia Labella has two secrets: at fifteen, she's still waiting for her first kiss, and she wants to be a saint. An official one. Seem strange? Well, to Antonia, saints are royalty, and she wants her chance at being a princess. All her life she's kept company with these kings and queens of small favors, knowing exactly whom to pray to on every occasion. Unfortunately, the two events Antonia's prayed for seem equally unlikely to happen. It's not for lack of trying. For how long has she been hoping to gain the attention of the love of her life - the tall, dark, and so good-looking Andy Rotellini? Too long to mention. And every month for the last eight years, Antonia has sent a petition to the Vatican proposing a new patron saint and bravely offering herself for the post. So what if she's not dead?

But as Antonia learns, in matters of the heart and sainthood, things are about as straightforward as wound-up linguini, and sometimes you need to recognize the signs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501271656
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	05/04/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.10(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range:	12 - 14 Years

About the Author

Donna Freitas is a professor at Boston University. Her writing has appeared in many newspapers and magazines, including The Boston Globe, Newsweek, Salon, and The Wall Street Journal. She contributes regularly to “On Faith,” an online panel co-sponsored by Newsweek and The Washington Post, and she is an occasional commentator for NPR’s All Thing’s Considered. Growing up, Donna could often be found covered in flour in the wee hours of the morning making pasta from scratch with her Italian mother and grandmother, listening to them pray to one saint or another. She lives in New York City. This is her first novel.

Emily Bauer is an award winning voice-over artist who has narrated dozens of audiobooks for both children and adults. She has voiced scores of TV and radio commercials as well as cartoons, talking toys, and video games. Emily's credits also include the film "Mona Lisa Smile" and the 35th anniversary production of "Hair".

Reading Group Guide

Discussion Questions

1. Antonia's two main aspirations are to become the first living saint and to get her first kiss from the right boy. On the surface, these goals seem very different, but do they have anything in common? What are your aspirations?

2. Antonia thinks that at fifteen she might be the only girl on the planet who hasn't had her first kiss. Do you think there are lots of girls this age who haven't had a first kiss yet? What about boys this age? Why? Why not?

3. If you were a patron saint, what would your specialization be and why?

4. In the beginning of the book, Antonia introduces her cousin Veronica as the "evil nemesis" in her life (p. 8). Does Antonia let her feelings for Veronica affect her actions? How? Do you have someone like Veronica in your life?

5. Antonia also has a best friend, Maria Romano. What makes Maria a great friend? How does she help Antonia reach her two goals?

6. Andy Rotellini and Michael McGinnis are the two boys in Antonia's life. Do they share any characteristics? What are their good points and bad points? How does Antonia decide which boy is right for her?

7. If you were Antonia, which boy would you have chosen in the end? Why?

8. Discuss Antonia's desire to be the Patron Saint of the First Kiss and Kissing and the fact that it was her kiss on Mrs. Bevalaqua's cheek that seemed to precipitate Mrs. B.'s miraculous recovery (p. 62). Do you think this is coincidence or are these aspects of the story linked?

9. Between Antonia's strict mother, lenient Grandmother, and her aunts and cousins, family is really important in Antonia's life. What do you think of the different members of Antonia's family? Are any of them like members of your family? If they are very different, how so?

10. For much of the story, Antonia rebels against her mother. What are some of the ways she enacts this rebellion? How do she and her mother come to terms with their differences in the end? Do you ever rebel against your parents or one parent more than another? When and in what circumstances do you feel like you want to rebel and why?

11. Antonia comes from an immigrant family, and her Italian heritage shapes so much of who she is, who her family is, and even her community and neighborhood. What impression do you get about being Italian from Antonia's story? About being from a recently immigrated family?
12. Take a look at "To Become a Saint You Must Complete the Following" (p. 37). What are the possibilities of sainthood for Antonia?

Editorial Reviews

Fresh and funny, this debut novel introduces a 15-year-old Catholic schoolgirl who experiences typical adolescent angst but has her own way of dealing with it: Antonia regularly petitions the saints. Longing for her first kiss, she settles on St. Augustine as an intercessor ("Hark back to your wayward youth," she urges him in her Saint Diary), but when her prayer gets her more aggressive action than she bargained for, Antonia decides to fill the gap in hagiography and proposes herself as the patron saint of the first kiss. Her e-mails to the Vatican (inhabited here by a pope open to the notion of women priests, gay marriage, etc.) add flair to a coming-of-age novel already vivid for its warm portrayal of urban Italian-American family life. "My daughter looks like a puttana! What have I done to deserve this?" shrieks Antonia's widowed mother when she catches Antonia rolling up the waist of her school uniform (Antonia's list of the "Top Five Ways Italians Express Love" begins with "by being totally honest with each other, i.e., fighting"). While getting at serious issues, Freitas (author of Killing the Imposter God and a frequent contributor to PW) wins readers over with a beautifully sustained light touch. Ages 12-up. (Aug.)

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Publishers Weekly

Gr 7 Up

Antonia Lucia Labella, 15, strives to become the first living saint in the history of the Catholic Church. She petitions various saints for any number of reasons, big and small, serious and amusing. Every month for the last eight years, she has written to the Vatican with a new idea for a patron saint for everything from fig trees to kisses and offered herself as a candidate for the position. Her first request after the death of her father was to become the Patron Saint of Daddy's Heart. Each suggestion has been met with silence, but Antonia hasn't given up hope. The teen's life revolves around working at Labella's Market (the best homemade pasta in Rhode Island), school, boys, and saints. Freitas brings to life the protagonist's experiences at a Catholic school and in an immigrant family. First loves and family feuds fill the pages. Antonia wants nothing more than to experience her first kiss with her longtime crush and is horrified when his advances indicate a desire for more. She takes her religion seriously, without proselytizing. With a satisfying ending, this novel about the realistic struggles of a chaste teen is a great addition to all collections.-Cara von Wrangel Kinsey, New York Public Library

School Library Journal

Antonia Labella is a typical parochial schoolgirl, complete with plaid skirts and knee socks, but for years she's hoped the Vatican would make her something much more: a saint. She'd happily settle for being the saint of figs or even pasta-making. Antonia figures if there's a patron saint of accounting, why not? When not cultivating an encyclopedic knowledge of the saints, she swoons over hottie Andy Rottelini and pines for her first kiss. Freitas infuses Antonia's quirky narration with crisp depictions of daily life in Federal Hill, a close-knit, Italian-American neighborhood in Rhode Island. Readers hear heavy accents, smell simmering tomato sauces and feel the ever-present pull of Catholicism. Antonia's comedic treatment of the four big Italian obsessions-love, family, food and religion-will give teens insight into a rich, warm and complicated culture. Even non-Italian, non-Catholic readers will relate to Antonia as she struggles with an overbearing mom and gets giddy just thinking about landing her kiss. Like good homemade pasta, this satisfying novel balances lightness with substance and leaves teens wanting another serving. (Fiction. 12 & up.)

Kirkus Reviews

“Catholic schoolgirl Antonia Labella aims for canonization in this satisfying comedy.” —People magazine

“Hilarious and sweet.” —Miami Herald

“Behold: A rare bloom of a book, a genuflection toward the reality that today's young can still be, more likely than not, good at heart. The Possibilities of Sainthood while never gloomy or dogmatic, is a literary work of mercy. Let us rejoice and be glad.” —Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked

“With a satisfying ending, this novel about the realistic struggles of a chaste teen is a great addition to all collections.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review

“Fresh and funny, this debut novel introduces a 15-year-old Catholic schoolgirl who experiences typical adolescent angst but has her own way of dealing with it: Antonia regularly petitions the saints. . . . Her e-mails to the Vatican (inhabited here by a pope open to the notion of women priests, gay marriage, etc.) add flair to a coming-of-age novel already vivid for its warm portrayal of urban Italian-American family life.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Like good homemade pasta, this satisfying novel balances lightness with substance and leaves teens wanting another serving.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“First-time novelist Freitas hops into the romance genre and brightens and heightens it by providing characters who are anything but run-of-the-mill.” —Booklist, Starred Review

“Donna Freitas has created a warmhearted story filled with humor, reflections and life. Antonia is amazing: very goal-orientated, determined, guided by her heart, a character who almost becomes a real friend. Freitas has a writing style that invites a reader to step into the story, to become part of it, and really feel the emotions and actions of her characters . . . a charming a witty book.” —Teenreads.com

“Clever and highly entertaining.” —Cathy Berner, Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX

“Utterly fresh and funny, The Possibilities of Sainthood has heart. The voice of Antonia Lucia Labella is authentic and endearing. A contagious energy pulsates throughout, pulling us into a wholly believable world of burying fig trees, navigating girlhood, petitioning the Pope, and above all else--possibilities.” —Tanya Lee Stone, author of A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl

“The Possibilities of Sainthood is like the kiss Antonia longs for: passionate, funny, truthful, and most of all, a pleasure.” —Emily Franklin, author of At Face Value and The Other Half of Me

“Donna Freitas' lighthearted look at one adolescent's journey through school, boys, and her religion is a slice of slightly irreligious, yet redemptive Catholic culture.” —ALAN Online Picks

“It's one of those stories which displays real life.” —A YALSA YA Galley Teen Reader

“It's funny and true to life.” —A YALSA YA Galley Teen Reader

“This book is super cool! It made me laugh, a lot.” —A YALSA YA Galley Teen Reader

From the Publisher

Emotions rule Emily Bauer's narration, creating an accurate portrayal of the dramatic Labellas. Bauer gives heroine Antonia Lucia Labella bouncy, bright tones, which emphasize the story's humor as Antonia fires off letters to the Vatican, seeking sainthood for her careful tending of the Labella fig trees, making the best pasta in Rhode Island, or becoming the Patron Saint of the Kiss. Antonia's comic views and Bauer's sarcastic delivery run the gamut from how Italians love to the best way for a 15-year-old girl to modify her Catholic school uniform. In contrast, Antonia's widowed mother rails at her daughter in a furious "just-off-the-boat" Italian accent. Bauer’s depiction of this mother-daughter struggle makes it stand out in relief against Antonia's humorous takes on religion and first love. S.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2008 - AudioFile