Review of Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures

[Tosin Le]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures" by Catherine A. Pepe.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures was written by Catherine Anna Pepe. The writer wrote this fictional book in remembrance of her younger brother, Donald Woodward Burcham, who lived with Down syndrome till he passed on. The story begins with Donny's birth, bringing excitement into his family, especially to Mary Grace Miller, his sister, because to her, she was going to have a younger brother whom she'd be playing with. However, her father tells her that Donny won't be able to perform normal activities like any other person because he was born with Down Syndrome. This news made her sad. Yet, she and her parents vowed to make Donny's last days on earth memorable by sticking right beside him. After some years, their parents traveled to Kenya in Africa and stayed for two years for a profitable voluntary job. Donny and Mary leave California to stay with their grandparents. Would they be able to cope without their parents? Would Mary be able to take care of her brother? Read this book to find out. 

This book educated me. I got to know that there are drugs that someone with Down syndrome can take which will make them live longer; the miraculous drugs used to treat Donny made him live till the age of fifty-three. The way his family members ensured that he was happy thrilled me. They didn't only teach him how to talk, walk, and read, but they also took him out to the zoo to see his favorite animals, play with his sister, Mary, in a different environment, and interact with his fellow children. Mrs. Miller also took Donny and Mary out shopping and swimming; all of these made Donny feel loved and accepted. Donny also attended a school where he learned to socialize with his classmates in an academic setting, and this made him more confident, thereby reducing the presence of low self-esteem in his life. If they hadn't done all this for him, he would have become very depressed and death would have happened to him a long time ago. 

I was happy that a situation that would have ruined the happiness of Mary and her parents turned into a thrilling one; little Donny went missing in the zoo and was nowhere to be found. Where would Donny possibly be? Was he eaten by dangerous animals? They thought to themselves. They couldn't see him despite searching for him in the crowd that also visited the zoo. In the end, they found him on a train having fun. The way they welcomed him back showed that they missed him so much. 

I will rate this book four out of four stars because there was nothing that I disliked about it. I love reading books with a lower number of errors; hence, my excitement was heightened when I didn't discover any errors in this book. To this effect, I would say that it was edited exceptionally. It also had a very enjoyable plot. 

I recommend it to children, children with Down syndrome, and people who get excited after reading children's books because Donny's story will motivate them. The description of animals in this book would also interest them. Grandparents would also find this book useful because they would know how to take care of their grandkids.

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Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures
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[Towfiq Juma]

The author beautifully portrays Donny's exuberant personality through his endearing habit of embracing and high-fiving not only his family but also strangers. One particular heartwarming moment nearly brought tears of joy to my eyes. It was when Donny, engrossed in reading his favorite book on the plane, inspired others to join him in the literary adventure. As they disembarked, they couldn't resist sharing a celebratory high-five with him. Great review