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Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
It’s difficult enough being in middle school and trying to balance the friendship circles with real life. Grace is in Grade 7, and she’s not sure who to label as her friends. In Anna Maria DiDio’s Grace’s Write Time, Grace reaches out to lonely seniors, writing them newsy letters about her life. Then she finds out her family has to move to Chicago and the friends she thought were friends abandon her. It’s like starting all over again. She’s on a mission with her new friend, Andy; a secret mission to help him find his birth parents. She also has her letter-writing campaign. Even if the seniors never write back, Grace feels good about writing things down. She’s writing her memoir, and who knows if anyone will read it. Not that it matters. The important thing is that she’s writing. As she admits later in the story, “I had to be happy first, doing the things that were good for me.” What was good for her was writing stories in a letter.
Maria DiDio’s middle-grade novel, Grace’s Write Time, is a powerful statement of what it means to experience those growing-up years. The story is told in the first person narrative, from Grace’s point of view, and follows Grace as she progresses through so many difficult times, including a move that takes her away from all that’s familiar. Using the art of writing letters, Grace finds a means to identify herself and to make things matter. I love how the author includes Grace’s letters, which help develop the plot. The detective work, helping her new friend, Andy, adds yet another dimension to the struggle young people undergo in identifying themselves. Self-identity is very important at this age as is friendships, another powerful aspect of this story. Through the art of letter-writing, Grace identifies herself as a strong person, one who cares about herself, her life, her family, and her friends. A great read.
