Falling from Grace

Children's Literature

AGERANGE: Ages 11 to 15.

When a sudden storm floods a normally peaceful bay, Annie helplessly watches as her sister Grace is carried away by the sea. Running for help, Annie does not know if her sister has been swept further into the ocean, pulled under the water, or trapped by the cascading cliffs. As the beach town searches for Grace, her disappearance becomes more suspicious, and fourteen-year-old Kip is caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pulled unexpectedly into the mystery of Grace's disappearance as well as a strange relationship with a has-been musician, Kip struggles to make good choices and help find Grace. When suspicion of her whereabouts falls on him, he desperately tries to solve the mystery while dodging surveillance by the town police. As more time passes, Grace's chances at survival dwindle. Will Kip be able to find her in time to save her and clear his name? This is a fantastic and suspenseful mystery that will pull readers in and never let them go. Told in alternating perspectives of Annie, Kip, and sometimes Grace, Falling from Grace shows the emotional strain suffered by teenagers in difficult situations and challenges readers to rethink right and wrong. This would be a good tool for discussing multiple perspectives, critical thinking and prediction, and how both good and bad choices can lead to severe consequences. Reviewer: Traci Avalos

VOYA

A beachside game of hide-and-seek, a sudden winter storm, and the shaky judgment of teenagers lead to disaster for several families vacationing at the Australian seashore. Godwin tells a tale of intersecting lives and dangers, both hidden and visible, much like the shifting currents and swirling whirlpools along the stretch of coastline where the story takes place. When twelve-year-old Grace and Annie miscalculate the rising tide and the swiftness of the storm, Grace vanishes into the darkness. Fourteen-year-old Kip picks the wrong day for a walk on the beach. His discovery of the girls' abandoned backpack and a chance encounter with a local eccentric place him firmly in the glare of police suspicion. With the police following his every move, Kip conducts his own investigation to find Grace and clear his name. Godwin uses the rhythm of the ocean and imagery of the storm to full advantage here; everything is treacherous and nothing is clear. With each attempt to understand what happened, Kip is pulled back into danger as with the tide. Annie mines the murk of her memories, looking for any clue that could lead to her sister. Telling the story primarily in the alternating voices of the two teenagers, Godwin perfectly captures their recklessness, anxiety, and the shifting waves of despair and hope that drive them. Although Godwin ends the book a bit too neatly, the suspense, atmosphere, and pacing of the story will keep the pages turning. Reviewer: Amy Fiske

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8 Strangers at first, 14-year-old Kip and 12-year-old Annie relate in alternating voices how they are drawn together in a bizarre drama involving Annie's 13-year-old sister, Grace. Playing a family tracking game of hide-and-seek on Point Nepean beach, Australia, Grace stops to rescue an injured penguin as a severe storm approaches. Annie protests and reaches for Grace as she slips off a rock cliff and vanishes into the roiling water. Meanwhile Kip, on another part of the beach, witnesses a boy jump out of a moving car, run past him, and vanish in the darkening turbulence. The car does not stop or turn around. The plot becomes more convoluted as Kip finds a backpack (Grace's) in the water and seeks shelter from the storm in the beach house of an aging alcoholic rock star. As events coalesce, Kip becomes a suspect in Grace's disappearance, yet redeems himself somewhat when he rescues the mysterious boy from near drowning. Readers of all abilities will appreciate the short, descriptive chapters; teachers and librarians will value the possibilities for discussion in this unusual mystery that's sure to prompt readers to examine the consequences of their choices.-D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH

Kirkus Reviews

The disappearance of a 12-year-old girl along the coast of Australia during a storm disrupts her family and a 14-year-old boy who accidentally becomes involved. Absorbed in a tracking game on the beach, Grace and her sister Annie get lost. With the tide rising, night approaching and rain falling, Annie insists on a short cut up the cliff where the reluctant Grace falls and vanishes when the cliff-side collapses. The same afternoon, Kip is on the beach when he discovers Grace's backpack floating in the water. Kip returns the backpack to Grace's frantic father and mentions seeing two figures on the beach earlier. The search for Grace ensues for days with full media attention, and police place the innocent Kip under surveillance. Determined to find Grace and exonerate himself, Kip has good intentions but doesn't use the best judgment. Meanwhile, Annie feels guilty she forced Grace to take the disastrous short cut and wonders what life will be like without her sister. Annie and Kip tell this riveting story of disappearance and search in alternating voices laced with insights about their own journey from innocence to experience. (Fiction. 11-15)