Say Goodnight, Gracie

Morgan is forced to cope with loneliness, grief, and a host of memories after the tragic loss of her beloved long-time friend, Jimmy

Grade 8-10A well-drawn portrayal of the complex emotions of an adolescent's first confrontation with death. Morgan and Jimmy have been inseparable friends since birth. When Jimmy is killed by a drunk driver, Morgan's pain seems un bearable. The novel candidly charts the range of Morgan's grief and her slow growth towards acceptance and maturity. Poignantly, the novel opens with a men tion of Jimmy's death, then jumps to be fore the accident as Morgan narrates the events leading up to and following it. Deaver has an acute ear for dialogue; the novel progresses with snappy, realistic exchanges between Morgan and Jimmy. The friendship that they share is just thata close friendship that, refreshingly, is without romantic involvement. The role models presented are a real plus, too. Jim my aspires to be a ballet dancer, and Mor gan's aunt is an attractive psychiatrist. Jimmy's fondness for Fred Astaire is a nice touch, as is the Burns and Allen refer ence in the titlea reference which young readers unfortunately may not under stand. Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia (Crowell, 1977) superbly handles the acci dental death of a friend for younger read ers. Goodnight, Gracie is more sensitive, engaging and realistic than Brancato's Facing Up (Knopf, 1984). It is a memora ble first novel. Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School Library, South Portland, Maine
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Tragedy strikes early in Deaver's first book, and so the mood necessarily must be one of sorrow and confusion. But the impression that lingers with readers is closer to unbridled joy. The happiness friends inspire in one anotherin this case Morgan and Jimmyis convincingly conveyed and absolutely infectious. When Jimmy is killed by a drunk driver, Morgan must find her way, left with only half a friendship. The mourning process overwhelms and mystifies her, because there isn't a single habit, gesture or hobby of hers that doesn't remind her, somehow, of Jimmy. And so she is forced to either turn away from all things she holds most dear, or to learn to love them again, despite Jimmy's absence. One minor misstep: among all the wonderfully believable characters is an aunt, whose precise, uncanny judgments as a psychiatrist seem to reduce Julie's sadness to a simple textbook analysis. Julie herself proves that she is not a bundle of sumptoms, but a human being dealt a terrible loss, trying to get back on course. A Charlotte Zolotow Book. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.