ANGEL'S GRACE
Tracey Baptiste
Simon & Schuster/A Paula Wiseman Book
Fiction
ISBN: 0689867735
176 pages

Thirteen-year-old Grace and her sister Sally are spending eight very long weeks with Ma, their grandmother, in Trinidad. Grace misses her friends back in Brooklyn and wishes she could tell them about Raj, the neighbor boy who makes her uncomfortable in a strange new way.

One bright spot is Grace's Aunty Jackie, who is full of fascinating family stories. One evening, Jackie shows Grace old family photos. Grace sees one that puzzles her: Next to Grace's young mother stands a man with a birthmark identical to Grace's own --- a small light hand above the heart. Grace can't tell from the photo, but she wonders if he might also have the thick red hair that only she has. When asked about the man, Jackie and Ma claim not to know who he is.

Grace's mother has always explained her birthmark by saying an angel touched Grace there when she was a tiny baby. Grace remembers how angry her father got over the angel story. Suddenly she wonders: could the stranger in the picture somehow actually be her real father? It might explain why Grace has always felt so very apart from the rest of her family. But how could that be? She realizes that she must discover more about the stranger --- and possibly uncover the truth about herself.

Grace confides her secret suspicions to Raj, who proves to be sympathetic and helpful. He suggests Grace and Sally invite their parents' old friends to the party they're planning when their parents come for them. Grace is struck by the brilliance of Raj's idea, which would give her an excuse to track down the people in the old photos, including the mysterious man with the angel tattoo.

The search is on, but Grace can't help wondering why this man, if he is indeed her father, has never searched for her. Besides, surely if Grace's suspicions are true, her mother would have told her. And what about the man she knows as "Dad"? Wouldn't he be devastated to discover she's not his real daughter?

Tracey Baptiste gives this compelling family mystery a warm and gently satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended!

   --- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

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