Eleven and Holding

Name: Eleven and Holding
Brand: Harper Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Mary Penney
ISBN: 9780062561053

Author: Mary Penney

Narrator: Cassandra Morris

Unabridged: 5 hr 31 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 06/07/2016

Categories: Children's Fiction, Children's Social Themes

Synopsis

Macy Hollinquest is eleven years old, and don’t count on her to change that anytime soon.Her birthday is just days away, but she has no intention of turning twelve without her dad by her side. He’d promised to be there for her big day, and yet he’s been gone for months—away after his discharge from the army, doing some kind of top secret, “important work.”So Macy’s staying eleven, no matter what—that is, until she meets Ginger, a nice older lady who is searching for her missing dog. Ginger’s dog search is the perfect cover for Macy’s attempt to locate her dad. But her hunt puts her on a path to a head-on collision with the truth, where she discovers that knowing can sometimes be a heavy burden. And that change, when finally accepted, comes with an unexpected kind of grace.Mary Penney’s earnest, heartfelt story of change, loss, and new beginnings will resonate with young readers on the cusp of new beginnings, and stay in their hearts long after it’s done.

About Mary Penney

Mary Penney thinks eleven-year-olds ought to be given special medals for surviving one of the toughest years of childhood. She feels certain she ate her body weight in peanut M&M’s that year just to cope. She says that when she was eleven-and-a-half, she began shape-shifting from a reasonable-looking child to an awkward creature with arms, legs, ears, and teeth all pointing in different directions. She wants you all to know that awkward stage passes eventually and very cool things happen next. Just hang on!She is a US Army veteran and works full-time for the Department of Veteran Affairs. Mary lives in Santa Barbara with her four-legged children who love to sleep, play practical jokes, and throw up hairballs. Mary loves to swim (badly), practice yoga (stiffly), and walk (into lots of things). Despite all that, she is deeply grateful for all her Irish good luck, and especially for being able to write novels for kids.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kate on August 01, 2016

Great YA book-a mystery along with life lessons. Told by a great character named Macy-who is funny and adorable and persistent in her almost 12 year oldness!......more

Goodreads review by Nicole on August 21, 2018

3.5-4 stars. My 11-year old loved it. It’s a simple easy read but deals with big real life issues. It’s a story that makes you wonder as a parent when is the right time to talk to kids about big issues and how much info to give while giving the child’s perspective of being left in the dark.......more

Goodreads review by Rebecca on September 20, 2016

It was okay. The voice wasn't believable--it didn't sound like an eleven-year-old girl, especially a modern eleven-year-old girl. Authors sometimes make their characters SO quirky that it distracts from the story, and that is how I felt when reading this. Also, nothing much happened until the last t......more

Goodreads review by Jana on December 12, 2018

The issues that eleven-year-old Macy deals with in this middle grade fiction novel are pretty heavy, but I think there are a lot of kids who will be able to relate to this book. Macy's father has been away serving in the military, but now that he's been discharged he's still been hundreds of miles a......more

Goodreads review by Tara on January 03, 2021

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Normally I go into books hesitantly when the main character is 11 going on 12 years old, but this one was done beautifully. I’ve seen so many that are written very immaturely and I can tell you, working at a school that’s 6-8th graders, that’s seldom the case.......more