Write Before Your Eyes
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Twelve-year-old Gracie is always flying under the radar of her overworked parents and outspoken siblings. But when she buys an old journal at a yard sale, Gracie is stunned to realize that everything she writes in the journal comes true—though sometimes in unexpected ways.
At first Gracie uses the journal selfishly, controlling her mother’s BlackBerry and eliminating the dress code at school. But then she starts to think about bigger issues: what about world hunger? Global warming? World peace Unfortunately, before she can make headway on any of those issues, the journal falls into the wrong hands—and soon Gracie and her best friend/crush Dylan are rushing around town trying to undo the damage! This fun, warm, emotionally honest novel is both a fantastic adventure and a testament to the power of writing to change the world.
Praise for Write Before Your Eyes
The ending is satisfying and sensible, and it is an altogether delightful little novel.
—Gwynne Spencer for Children’s Literature
“This was a really great story with characters that seemed real. I could really identify with the main character Gracie, a smart, bookish middle child who seems to be overlooked by the world. When she acquires a magic journal that makes everything she writes come true, suddenly she has power that she's not used to. Of course, problems inevitably arise as they do in all good stories, and Gracie and her friend Dylan must try to undo some of the problems they've created.
The story was fast paced and funny and I was rooting for Gracie all the way. All in all, an entertaining read. I'm ready for the sequel if it's coming!"
Write Before Your Eyes is a fun and fast-paced literary adventure. Gracie is so typically twelve that you can practically swim in her uncertainty. Although her blunders make a mess of everything, it’s clear from the beginning that her heart is in the “write” place.
You can’t help but fall in love with Gracie and cheer her on as she finds out the true power of the pen. After all, the shoulders of a middle-schooler aren’t big enough to carry the world’s problems, are they?
—Niki Schoenfield for CurledupKids.com
“Gracie is a sympathetic protagonist, and Kline tackles issues like fate and free will with equal parts humor and gravity. This is an engaging read for anyone who has ever felt powerless to change her own world.”
—Laurie Slagenwhite, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI