Gracie's Girl

Written by Ellen Wittlinger

Middle schooler faces a dilemma: popularity or helping a homeless woman survive the winter?

3.7 Goodreads · 177 ratings

192 pages· 740L

$6.99Save 4%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Bess Cunningham, eager to shed her invisibility in middle school, finds her plans derailed by volunteering at a soup kitchen. There, she meets Gracie, an elderly homeless woman who captures her heart. As Bess juggles her desire for popularity with her growing commitment to Gracie, she faces a chilling question: can her efforts truly make a difference as winter's grip tightens? With compassion and determination, Bess navigates the complexities of friendship and responsibility, discovering that sometimes the most unexpected connections can change everything.

From the publisher

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT – OR WHO – WILL TOUCH YOUR HEART. Now that Bess Cunningham is in middle school, she’s determined to get noticed. With her new glasses, her wild thrift-store clothes, and her job as stage manager for the school play, she’s sure her days of being invisible are over. Being forced to volunteer with her parents at the local soup kitchen doesn’t exactly fit into Bess’s popularity plans, especially since she finds the place so creepy. But when she meets Gracie Jarvis Battle, an elderly homeless woman, Bess can’t help but feel compassion for her. Bess grows more involved with trying to feed and shelter the older woman, but as the weather turns colder and Gracie grows thinner, Bess begins to wonder – will her help be enough?

At a glance