From Author Rebecca Grabill
This Joyful Mess
A Happy Little Book about Death: Bodies From the Ash
Details must make sense and matter to the story. Does it matter that eighty-one loaves of bread were baking? I’m not sure. Regardless...
I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane
Heading for Hamline University - my flight takes off at 10am - for their MFA in writing for children and young adults. Ten days of lectures and workshops and...
Timeless Girl Survival Story: Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
One of the first books I read in my 6th grade accelerated reading program, I reread it in college and read it again for this program. My first time through I fell in love with the wolves and the adventure-story elements of the book. My second time through I realized Julie was married! Oh my word! And ran away because...
Fire and Brimstone (Journals)
A novel in verse. First person with various voices and stories that weave in and out of one another all culminating in one hate-filled young man’s desire to blow away everyone on his sh@t list. Brilliant, beautiful...
Racial Harmony in Picture Book Form: The Other Side
Beautiful, moving, inspiring. Woodson writes with a lovely, authentic voice and tells a story of hope for racial reconciliation by showing instead of telling. The fence is an obvious metaphor, but the symbolism could easily transcend...
Little Girls in Two Straight Lines: Madeline
Sweet Matisse-like illustrations with a strong plot. Madeline is characterized as being fearless, but she cries at her pain (her appendix!), so the severity of her illness is obvious. Everyone’s concern for her is...
I'm so Frankweilerely Mixed Up!
The story of a girl (and her brother) running away to find herself. The plot is not as tidy as Because of Winn Dixie, which was wonderful. The story is told in Mrs. BEF’s voice and her telling, so smooth and easy, is the perfect way to get inside both children’s heads and facilitates perfectly...
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
One of my favorites from childhood. Simply written but vivid and moving.
Short sentences and accessible vocabulary are used, but this does nothing to slow or dilute the story. Characterization of the narrator, Anna, is not that clearly drawn and Caleb seems emotionally about five, but intellectually...
Old Yeller For Girls: Because of Winn-Dixie
It’s like Old Yeller for girls. DiCamillo writes this story in the adorable 10-year-old voice of India Opal Buloni, the preacher’s kid whose mother ran off when she was three. The story opens with a lonely Opal rescuing a stray dog, who within a day...
A Common Question: Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret
A delightful coming of age story involving controversial topics such as bras, menstruation, and religion.
Margaret Ann Simon’s mother is Christian, her father a secular Jew. Her grandmother, quite an influence in her life, is a devout Jew and hopes to see Margaret become...
Hi, I’m Rebecca. I write books and I write here at This Joyful Mess to inspire everyone to find JOY in the everyday messes of life. Here you’ll find inspiration, educational resources, and so much more. Please explore and connect. I’d love to hear from you!