ANGEL’S GRACE

Thirteen-year-old Grace has always known that somehow she doesn’t fit in with the rest of her family. First, there’s her wild red hair; then, there’s the odd angel-shaped birthmark above her heart. Grace and her younger sister spend a few weeks’ summer vacation with their grandmother in Trinidad, and she spies, in a family photo album, a blurred snapshot of an unknown man with an identical birthmark. This becomes the catalyst for a quest that will take Grace on a journey to find not only the stranger, but also her own identity and the true meaning of family. Baptiste’s debut is well-written, with a determined, relatable heroine, solid characterizations, and an exotic setting that is well-evoked. A few childlike drawings interspersed throughout the text suggest illustrations created by Grace herself as she explores island life, finds a first boyfriend and shares her experiences with her best friend back home in Brooklyn. A nice read. (Fiction. 11+)