Review Detail

When Madeline's father was trapped in an avalanche, his daughter was miles and miles away. She was safe at home, yet she felt an inexplicable urge to pray for his safekeeping. Because he survived the ordeal, she becomes convinced that she saved her father's life and develops an unusual obsession for a kid her age: saints and sainthood. After her parents divorce, her obsession only grows. She blames her mother for the divorce and thinks her father is infalliable. Before the book is over, though, Madeleine realizes that he is only human, and that her mother has her best interests at heart.

In addition to being a future saint, Madeline is also a dancer. I wished the scenes on stage were detailed, to truly capture the experience and thrill of dancing. She has a quirky habit of taking off one shoe and working on her extension. (This is why she is only has one shoe on the book cover.) As a dancer myself, I felt the need to correct her when she commented upon another girl's field hockey legs and compared them to her thin legs, because, as a ballet dancer, especially one doing pointe work, Madeline would have developed strong legs with thick muscles, quads, thighs.

(Grace, if you're reading this, then this is for you: Quadriceps femoris muscle)

Partway through the book, Madeline befriends an interesting girl named Antoinetta. Antoinetta's house, always filled with relatives, noise, food, and plastic-covered furniture, was easy to picture.

There was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it line early in the book that reveals the bulk of the story takes place a year after the divorce. As this line came just when characters were being established, it was easy to miss or misinterpret. The story and its characters would have benefitted from the inclusion of that transition period. Madeline's mother was occasionally painted in broad strokes. Thankfully, she is finally given more attention towards the end of the book.

Children of divorce can easily blame one parent and idolize the other, and it can hurt when parents can fall off of the pedestal lodged in their children's eyes. That was also clearly shown at the end of the book.

The descriptions of historical saints and miracles may make kids curious about other religions, but Madeline's quest for sainthood is far more about saving her family than saving her soul, making for an inoffensive journey which fits the character as well as the story's target audience. A decent story overall, though I ultimately wanted more.