SAVING GRACE

Grace sees no point in following rules or living up to her parents’ expectations after the accidental death of her beloved older brother Matt. While her parents seek solace in religion, Grace, a junior in high school, chops off her hair (and her skirt) and abandons her old friends to hang out and drink with the cool kids. Luckily, Grace has a guardian angel—or at least someone who takes an otherworldly interest in her welfare. Philomena appears to be just a slightly eccentric classmate, but by story’s end her supernatural role is revealed. Or rather, vaguely described. Unfortunately, despite a promising beginning that grounds Grace’s story squarely in today’s teen world, the simultaneously unlikely and predictable plot and cardboard characterization prevent the possibility of readers getting in engaged enough to care what becomes of her. Stuck somewhere between a sentimental tear-jerker and a trendy teen-read, this unsuccessful problem novel treats serious topics too trivially to merit much respect. (Fiction. 12-16)