I loved it. A tale of friendship, anger and forgiveness. The characters are very original and well built. Groovy wants to become a chef, but to do so she needs to pay for cooking school. Her dreams shatter after a single event that changes her life forever. She struggles and comes around surrounded by truthful friends and love. A very sweet way to approach a difficult subject with amazing writing and a rewarding ending. I thought I was watching an animation the all time. ( )

children's fiction/4-6th grades. Great book for reading aloud to classes. ( )

I really liked the character of Groovy and her story of coming to terms with the betrayal within her own family. What I really had a difficult time with was figuring out the passage of time between scenes and the time of year it was supposed to be. The story was very well told with a good plot. Groovy was a very mature young lady, that despite her hardships and the faults and challenges her parents presented, she loved both of them very much and remained a loyal and faithful daughter. The ending was great filled with forgiveness and love. Good first book Ms. Fritzmaurice. ( )

Eleanor, nicknamed Groovy, lives in a California coastal town with her mother who owns a beauty salon and her father who's hopped from job to job. Eleanor's dream is to attend culinary school on the $25,000 her grandmother left her but when her father is arrested, she learns it's because he blew all her money on gambling. Eleanor struggles with this betrayal while her friend Frankie also deals with his mother's two-year absence. Eleanor soon comes to forgive her father, accepting that "people are just who they are." I liked Eleanor's voice and the relationships she has with her mother and friends but ultimately I know I'm not going to remember this book in a month or so. ( )

Excellent characters and a very good story.
All about learning to forgive. ( )