After the Rain - Norma Fox Mazer
The wonderful thing about After the Rain is that it feels so
true. Like a good writer should, Norma Fox Mazer takes ordinary,
everyday life and writes about it in such a way that it becomes
interesting and compelling. After the Rain recounts the
story of Rachel, a typical middle-class teenager just trying to live her
life. Rachel struggles with what it means to be a high school
student, what it means to have a boyfriend, and what it means to be a granddaughter--which
are all interconnected, as they are in life.
In reading After the Rain, you feel that these are real people
living real lives. And by living through this experience with
Rachel and her family, we come to understand our own lives a little
better. Her story is touching and sometimes sad, but always
life-affirming.
Though this book has a natural appeal for girls, I think it would be
too narrow to confine it only to girls. Rachel's struggles are
universal--boys deal with these very same issues, though not necessarily
in the same way. It's also important for them to understand the
kinds of thoughts and experiences that girls have. It is very
important for the reader to go into this book with the attitude that you
are about to meet some real people in real situations. This is no
action/thriller, no soap opera, no keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat
page-turner. Rather, it is a leisurely walk with Rachel and her
grandfather on the road of life.