Fire and Ice

Enter to win a copy at http://fireandicephoto.blogspot.com ends 12/24/10

See the full review plus and excerpt at Fire and Ice http://fireandicephoto.blogspot.com/2010/11/growing-up-gracie-by-maggie-fechner.html

My first impression when I got this book in the mail was that this is my kind of cover! I LOVE it, as a sucker for photography of old trucks and vignetted edges. Plus the image fits perfectly with the story. I think this is one of the best covers I have ever seen from Cedar Fort's design team. Major score for author Maggie Fechner!

There is a warm comfort that comes from reading Growing Up Gracie, the memoir of one teen and her two best friends growing up in Cody, Wyoming. Gracie feels ordinary and sometimes lost in her family dynamic. But her conviction to follow her instinct and do what feels right leads her life in many surprising directions. She, like all of us, has unique talents and an influence on others that only she can make. Discovering it for herself takes some time. The book pace is slow moving, much like life in a small town, but I stayed engaged until the very last page. Each chapter is a glimpse at Gracie as she matures from grade school to becoming a mother herself. It's a coming of age tale of an American family and the bonds of friendship.

Maggie Fechner addresses with candor and grace the growing pains of teenage pregnancy, adoption, finding a testimony, making your place in the world and receiving personal answers to prayer. She weaves in a small town romance with its roots in friendship and faith. I am looking forward to reading more from Maggie as this is book is just the beginning and a first installment in a new Fremont Family series.