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Summary
Summary
Whip-smart, hilarious, and unapologetically honest, Rachael Lucas's The State of Grace is a heartwarming story of one girl trying to work out where she fits in, and whether she even wants to.
"Sometimes I feel like everyone else was handed a copy of the rules for life and mine got lost."
Grace is autistic and has her own way of looking at the world. She's got a horse and a best friend who understand her, and that's pretty much all she needs. But when Grace kisses Gabe and things start to change at home, the world doesn't make much sense to her any more.
Suddenly everything threatens to fall apart, and it's up to Grace to fix it on her own.
Author Notes
Rachael Lucas is an author, coach and freelance writer. She lives and works in a Victorian house by the seaside in the northwest of England with her partner (also a writer) and their children. She is the author of The State of Grace and Sealed with a Kiss .
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-Grace has Asperger's syndrome, which makes navigating the social labyrinth of high school challenging. Understanding her family is just as tricky with her dad away on a filming assignment, her mom rekindling a relationship with a college friend, and her sister, Leah, withdrawing from her friends and being secretive. On the upside, things with her best friend have never been better, she still has her beloved horse, and it seems as though Gabe, the cute boy in school, has a romantic interest in Grace. In an effort to impress Gabe and his friends, Grace decides to takes a risk with her horse, which turns into a disaster. That same night, Leah's mysterious behavior comes to light, and suddenly Grace is having a full meltdown. While shipped off to her grandmother's to recover, she is convinced that she is all alone after the mistakes she has made. The plot moves along at an easy pace and Grace's voice is authentic and witty, giving readers a relatable and sympathetic protagonist. VERDICT Some hand-selling may be necessary for this quiet, unassuming work, but the heartwarming title is worth the extra effort.-Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
With enormous insight, British writer Lucas (My Box-Shaped Heart) shares the thoughts of high schooler Grace and brings readers into the experiences of a teen with Asperger's. Grace is fine when she's at the stables with her beloved horse, Mabel; it's when she's in public that she starts having trouble. While Grace's best friend, Anna, and younger sister, Leah, seem to know instinctively what to say and how to act in every situation, Grace is always making blunders: "Sometimes I feel like everyone else was handed a copy of the rules and mine got lost," she says. Nonetheless, her crush, Gabe, has become interested in her, and being around him is a lot less awkward than Grace expects. Things are looking up, but there are still people who make her miserable, particularly her long-time nemesis, Holly, and her mother's obnoxious friend Eve. Grace's keen sense of humor and honesty are irresistible, and the book exudes positivity and warmth, with a whole crew of individuals-Grace's family, Anna, ever-patient Gabe, and stable-owner Polly-respectfully walking alongside Grace. Ages 13-18. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
For British teen Grace, life with Aspergers syndrome, as she describes it, feels like walking in step, but with someone trying to trip you upand youre juggling at the same time, with people pelting more and more balls at you. Her loving mother, her reliable best friend, and her beloved horse, Mabel, provide a support system, but the unpredictability of high school tests even her sturdiest routines. In a distinct and endearingly sarcastic voice, Grace tells the story of her tenth-grade year. She faces disruptive changes at home (her parents may be splitting up) and at school, where teachers are skeptical about her need for accommodation, and peer relationships become more nuanced and complex. Increased social demands prove especially exhausting. Loud parties are terrifying, crowds are suffocating, and a trip to the bowling alley is sensory hellbut she sees the benefits when classmate Gabe starts paying her special attention. Their relationship blooms into a sweet, hopeful sort-of romance that inspires Grace to take more social risks; some of her ideas prove unwisein a particularly cringe-making scene, Grace brings her horse to a public beachbut most come to tender resolutions. This gentle, sensitive slice-of-life story seamlessly weaves Graces unique neurological worldview with the universal angst of coming-of-age. jessica tackett macdonald (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Grace, a 15-year-old with high-functioning autism, feels as if she is the only one on the planet who didn't get a handbook of how life works. She does her best to avoid any kind of attention, although some of her teachers are unsympathetic. She is also a natural target for resident mean-girl Holly, who has issues of her own. Grace is content with her best friend Anna and her horse, Mabel, but when Gabe comes along and kisses her at a party, nothing is quite the same, and Grace's life starts to spiral out of control. Meanwhile, her father is away for his work, and her mother has taken up with a former school friend named Eve, whose negativity and possessiveness is having a poisonous effect. Still, the people around Grace have faith in her, and she starts to develop faith in herself. Strong, fascinating Grace honestly articulates her meltdowns and gaffes in her first-person narrative, and if the characters around her seem less rounded, it only makes her shine brighter.--Donna Scanlon Copyright 2018 Booklist
