After the Rain by 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.

[This review was originally written for my students at Mr. Senger’s Junior High Reading Lists, a website for my 8th graders.]