Grape!

By Gabriel Arquilevich

Part of the Grape! series

A troubled boy must write his way out of being sent to a school for problem kids. Can he change his fate?

4.9/5 Goodreads · 22 ratings

185 pages· 43,077 words· Est. 5 hour read

$25.95Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Grape faces suspension and the threat of being sent to a school for troubled kids after an incident with a teacher. His only hope is to reflect on his past misdeeds through daily writing. With his best friend Lou's support and his parents' hopes, Grape must navigate his chaotic history. Can he uncover the reasons behind his actions and avoid a future at Riverwash? As he delves into his past, Grape's journey becomes a race against time to understand himself and change his path. Will his reflections be enough to save him?

"Mrs. C, Lou says I have spiders in my brain, and that’s where all the trouble started."

— from the book

From the publisher

Grape is in trouble again! He punched Miss Roof in the arm! Now he’s suspended for two weeks, and Principal Clarkson has threatened to send him to Riverwash, a school for problem kids. But he has one last chance. Grape must spend an hour a day writing about his history of trouble, and there’s a lot of trouble to choose from… Grape’s best friend Lou is by his side, and even though Grape drives his parents crazy, they’re pulling for him all the way. But will Grape make sense of it all? Will it be enough to keep him out of Riverwash?

At a glance

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 185
Words: 43,077
Reading age: 9–12
Audience: Middle Grade

Themes & topics

Books about good behavior Books about respect Books about friendship Books about empathy Books about mischief

Inside the book

A peek between the covers

Good to know

Stories behind the story

Where did the idea for Grape! come from?

Events from my childhood! Every one of Grape's misadventures really happened, although the places and people are fictionalized around the edges, as are a few other things (top secret!). On a side note, I actually started the book many years ago, but it was a straight memoir as told by grown-up me. It was okay, but once I allowed my child self to tell his own stories, the voice had a lot more energy. Then I had a big decision to make: How was I going to present the stories? That's when the idea of writing letters to the principal came to me, along with the spiders in Grape's head.

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