Anne Dayton

The Miracle Girls is written entirely in Ana's voice. As the mother of a 14 year-old I can vouch for the fact that the narrative voice is very authentic. It is sarcastic, intelligent, and distinctly teenaged. Reading The Miracle Girls feels like eavesdropping on a teenage girl's conversation with her best friend.

Ana is a unique teen. Her parents immigrated from Mexico shortly after her birth. Her father is a lawyer, and apparently a very successful one because Ana wants for nothing in the show more material sense. She lives in a mansion and her mother spends her days redecorating the new house with the assistance of an interior designer. They employ a live-in cook-slash-housekeeper, and shop at Bloomingdales and Nordstrom. For a 14 year-old, Ana is only mildly rebellious, especially considering that her parents are extremely strict. Ana has her sights set on a medical degree from Princeton and needs to graduate high school first in her class in order to secure admission to the Ivy League.

Current culture references abound in this book. Ana talks about iPods, email, instant messaging, Google searches, Nutter Butters and Vera Wang. Again, this adds to the authenticity of the story while giving it a distinctly contemporary feel.

One of the more interesting aspects of this book is how the pressures of high school are depicted. Of course, there is peer pressure. Ana wants to fit in with the popular crowd, but she is different, mainly due to her Christian faith. Lucky for her, she finds two very good friends relatively quickly in her new school, and meets several other friends (and, eventually, a boyfriend) in her church youth group.

The authors also dealt with academic pressures, which we've heard a lot about in the media in the past year or two. Ana felt that she needed to be first in her class in order to get admitted to Princeton. The pressure was strong and constant. Her extra-curricular activities were carefully orchestrated in light of the college application process. As a freshman in high school, Ana and her parents were already thinking in terms of 'key differentiators' and how having a 'passion' would look good on her application.

The Miracle Girls is so much more than a story about a group of high school friends. Although it is full of likeable characters, it is really about Ana ... how she found a few good friends in a new school, and how in the end that turned out to be enough, and maybe even better than being part of the 'in' crowd. It is about how she balanced having a life in high school with having huge dreams for the future. It is about how she embraced her cultural roots even though at least one of her parents seemed a little embarrassed by them. And it was about respecting parents and rules and boundaries, and at the same time becoming a person who can both ask for and handle increased freedom. show less

Why Me???? Jane had it all. Great job, wonderful boyfriend, good apartment. Everything was going well for her. But then it all comes crashing down. Her boyfriend dumps her. She loses her job. Her apartment gets halfway destroyed. Rumors are spread about her. And she has this weird rash on her face that won't go away. It's enough to make anyway jump off the deep end. But thanks to her faith in God and a cute guy who seems to pop up at the right moments, Jane learns how to get through it show more all.

Christian chick lit just keeps getting better and better these days. It's great to read about stories about young women who are Christians with strong faith yet still like to shop for shoes and hunt for guys. Dayton and Vanderbilt's characters live like real people do without being all high and mighty or overly trying to witness to others. They show their faith by their actions, not trying to convert everyone they see. This book was tons of fun to read. Jane is a great character, very multi dimensional and easy to relate to. I felt for Jane especially during the scene where she tries to call her friend for help. Curse words would have uttered out of me at that point. I love the scenes in the hotel. I felt happy that something finally good was going for her. The storyline is a chick lit parable of the book of Job, but luckily Jane doesn't have it half as bad as he did (although the rash on her face would cause her to think she did). She handled things better than I would have in her situation. I would have been faced with the urge to throw something at the perpetrator of all the rumors about her. And her boyfriend: ARGGGHH! I have no complaints at all about this book. I couldn't stop reading it and now I want everyone else to. A funny hip read with a strong message about faith and belief in God. This is a book I could pass along to others even those who don't normally read Christian fiction. Highly recommended for a good time. show less

This is the first novel I've read in the Christian Young Adult genre - and what a breath of fresh air it was.

Ana's parents have moved her to Half Moon Bay - into a huge house that feels like its all for show. Her relationship with her parents is strained at best. Her first weeks at her new school are lonely and she manages to make enemies, just not any friends. One fateful mistake, however, lands her among three classmates she would never have chosen as friends - but they find out that they show more all have something in common that takes Ana's freshman year in a whole new direction.

The writing of The Miracle Girls is fresh and realistic. Ana wants so desperately to do what is right and live her faith while still making a place for herself and learn to stand without her parents constantly dictating her choices. The friends she makes are complex characters with their own set of issues that help Ana realize that maybe her life isn't quite as hard as she thought. And while Ana works through her first real crush, prepares for her Quinceañera and navigates high school life - her God is always on her mind, reminding her of her responsibilities and helping her cope with the pitfalls that inevitably come.

The authors have captured the teenage spirit and experience without compromising their character's values - not an easy feat. I'd gladly and without reserve put this book in the hands of any teenage girl I know. show less

I am always a little weary of christian based novels. Miracle Girls is a great mixture of teen chick lit, christian novel, humour and inspirational genres all mixed in together.

We get to meet our main character Ana - who is an absolute over-achiever in everything she does. Best grades in school, part of every group in school, etc. Except that she does a very idiotic thing on page 4 of this book - she actually reports another student for cheating - and does so in front of the whole class, show more including the cheating student. This will set the scene for the entire rest of the novel.

As I was reading this passage, I kept thinking "I don't believe she did that". I was not sure whether I admire her or thought she was the stupidest person alive! No matter, what ensues is a great read detailing how 4 girls get together at detention and have to work on a project that will make them really look at their lives and their faith.

The writing is quite witty and there is alot of humour here. The girls are, for the most part, charming and entertaining and more importantly, this novel does not come across as preachy or too unrealistic. I like that the author incorporates everyday teenage issues and angst into the storyline.

While I usually prefer my chick lit with a little more edge - I liked this book and recommend it to all teens looking for a good chick lit read. show less