Book Review: In Front of God & Everybody

The book title is hand-lettered, and the girl on the cover looks nothing like the girl in my mind as I read her "confessions".  The book cover obviously appeals more to girls than boys, and I have to admit I was a little embarrassed to be seen carrying it around.  Other than that, once again, I was surprised at the interest I had in continuing to read this book.  My biggest concern is a common one:  that the ending was as tightly tied as I would prefer, but since there are two more books in the series, that may explain why.

Amazon's website describes the story:

If God wanted April Grace to be kind to her neighbors, He should have made them nicer!

Growing up in the country is never easy, but it sure is funny—especially if you happen to have a sister obsessed with being glamorous, a grandma just discovering make-up, hippie friends who never shower, and brand new neighbors from the city who test everyone’s patience. From disastrous dye jobs to forced apologies and elderly date tagalongs, you’ll laugh ‘til you cry as you read the Confessions of April Grace!

Here are just a couple of April's thoughts: On her sister, Myra Sue: "How anyone can be that dumb and still be able to eat with a fork is beyond me."  On senior citizen lovebirds: "What if they started smooching right at the table in front of God and everybody?"

In spite of all the loony characters in her life, April Grace is able to learn from her parents as they share the love of God—to even the craziest of characters!

There are some very memorable characters in here, and the intriguing storylines interweave with ease.  I really enjoyed humorous language and phraseology.  One really empathizes with the main character, April Grace.  One also gets easily irritated by her sister Myra Sue, angry at the rude city couple that moves to the area, intrigued by the old hippie couple that rarely bathes, upset by the new relationship developing with April Grace's grandmother and an obnoxious old man from Texas, and amazed by the positive attitudes and leadership of April Grace's parents.

KD McCrite accurately captures the rural language and work ethic of the culture some consider "hillbilly".  With much humor, she also includes some strong a dramatic realities along the way.  That said, many of the Mark Twain Award nominees should appeal to higher level readers and may frustrate struggling readers.

The trailer for this book follows (Again, the characters don't look anything like the ones you may picture when you read this novel.).

If a student reads (or is read) as few as four of the twelve Mark Twain Award nominees from the Missouri Association of School Librarians list, s/he may officially vote to help determine the 2014 recipient of the award.