GRACE by Richard Paul Evans

GRACE by Richard Paul Evans

Evans, R. P. (2008). Grace. New York: Simon & Schuster.

GENRE: Fiction

ANNOTATION: When Eric invited Grace to stay in his tree house, he invited her into his live and was changed forever. This is the story of Grace, a runaway matchstick girl who found hope and refuge with Eric, and the aftermath that ensues.

SUMMARY: When Eric’s father falls sick, the family falls on hard times. They’re forced to move from their palm-lined living in Los Angeles to a small suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah. Eric feels lost, lonely, and bored in an unfamiliar land of unfamiliar faces… Until he meets Grace. Taking the trash out at the diner where he works, he finds her eating out of the dumpster. He pretends not to notice and invites her in. When he learns she’s a runaway with nowhere to go, he simply can’t leave her to freeze in the cold night. Eric hides Grace in the clubhouse he built with his brother, sneaking her food and other necessities. Despite circumstances she’s full of spirit and life and is just the friend he needs. As the days turn into weeks, Grace reveals her story and their friendship grows to love. But she can’t live in the clubhouse forever… What will happen to their love, and more importantly, what will happen to Grace when she’s discovered?

EVALUATION: 5 - The author skillfully builds great character depth and believability despite the few pages. Readers become intimately involved in the characters’ lives. Grace’s fate and the events that follow are both heart-breaking and heart-warming in this beautiful, all-around moving Christmas story.