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Saint Training
CCBC Review:
Mary Clare O’Brian is the oldest daughter in a large Catholic family living in fictional Littleburg, Wisconsin, in 1967. She bears much of the responsibility for caring for her younger siblings, and with her parents tense because money is tight, Mary Clare bargains with God: if He’ll help provide, she’ll strive to become a saint. This inspires her ongoing correspondence with the Mother Superior of a Minnesota convent—Mary Clare intends to become a nun and eventually take over the Mother Superior’s post, figuring this is good positioning for future sainthood. Issues of the era—Mary Clare’s mother is reading The Feminine Mystique, her oldest brother is registering for the draft as a Conscientious Objector, and Father Groppi’s involvement in civil rights in Milwaukee is a point of debate among Catholics—are seamlessly woven into a story by first-time Wisconsin author Elizabeth Fixmer that is first and foremost about a smart, spirited, take-charge girl coming of age during tumultuous times. This account of Mary Clare’s gradually maturing perspective on her family, her religion, and the wider world is often hilarious but also deeply moving. ©2010 Cooperative Children's Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 10-13
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
20th Century
Activism and Resistance
Christian People
Faith, Spirituality and Religion
Families
Girls and Women
Historical Fiction
Humor
Diversity subject:
Christian
On CCBC Booklist:
Religion in the Lives of Children and Teens
Publisher:
Zonderkidz
Publish Year: 2010
Pages: 240
ISBN: 9780310720188
CCBC Location: Fiction, Fixmer