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Title details for The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne by Shannon Takaoka - Available

The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne

by Shannon Takaoka
Jess Nahikian
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
It's 1987, and sixteen-year-old Gracie Byrne wishes her life were totally different. Shy and awkward, she has trouble fitting in at her new school, she's still reeling from her parents' divorce, and her grandmother Katherine's Alzheimer's is getting worse. So when Gracie finds a blank journal in Katherine's vanity drawer, she begins writing stories about herself—a more popular version of herself, that is. But then the hot guy in her art class describes a dream he had about her—the exact scene she wrote about him in her journal—and Gracie realizes that she can create any reality she wants, from acing tests to winning the attention of her previously indifferent classmates. As her ability to change what is into what she wishes it to be grows stronger though, Gracie starts to second-guess what's real—especially when it comes to a budding relationship with her cute neighbor, Tom. This compelling story deftly blends friendship, family, and romance...and bends the bounds of reality itself.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 31, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781666649574
      • File size: 243719 KB
      • Duration: 08:27:44

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 4, 2023
      A 16-year-old realizes that she can alter reality via her journal in this pensive tale by Takaoka (Everything I Thought I Knew). In 1987, high school junior Gracie Byrne is tired of being overlooked; she wants to be “more confident or funny or quick-witted or even mysteriously aloof… just more.” And even though she’s still navigating her parents’ divorce and her maternal grandmother’s Alzheimer’s, she’s confident that attending a new school is her chance for a fresh start. As the year commences, Gracie starts to make friends, including her charmingly goofy neighbor, Tom. Something weird is going on, however: when she writes stories about herself—the self she wishes she were—in her grandmother’s old notebook, they happen in real life. Suddenly, the extremely hot guy she sits next to in art class is interested in her. But this unexpected power comes at a cost. Immersive prose effectively conveys the push and pull between honoring one’s self and pursuing one’s desires. Via moments of young love and old loss, and themes of coming back to oneself, Takaoka delivers a moving and emotionally satisfying read. Characters are cued as white. Ages 14–up.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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