Saint Training

Mary Clare is on the lookout for a miracle. Mary Clare O?Brian is determined to be a saint when she grows up (the halo will help cover her frizzy hair). But lately none of her prayers seem to be working the way she wants them to: her mother is losing her faith, her parents can?t pay all the bills, and her brother receives a draft notice for the war in Vietnam. Mary Clare has a plan to help, but it just doesn?t seem to be working. How is she supposed to become a saint when her world is falling apart? Dear Mother Superior, My name is Mary Clare O'Brian and I am in sixth grade. I would like to join the convent right after 8th grade before I start liking boys too much. I?m already having problems with boys liking me. Gregory in my class throws spitballs at me and told my best friend he likes me. I haven?t told him that I want to be God?s bride yet. Do you think I should? Review In her debut novel, Fixmer takes a look back at the roiling 1960s, when everything was in flux, even the traditions of the Catholic church. Mary Clare is one of nine children (another's on the way), and it seems one strategy for bringing order into her life is to become a saint. Well, first a nun and then a saint. So Mary Clare resolves to forgo sin, but she soon learns that black and white can unexpectedly turn into gray. When it comes to matters of family, friendship, religion, even war and race relations, the path is not always clear. Fixmer hits every hot-button topic of the day, including Mary Clare's mother's burgeoning feminism. Fewer issues more fully explored might have been a wiser editorial choice, but there's no doubt this gives readers a strong sense of what was happening during this turbulent time. Smartly delineated in part through letters to a nun, Mary Clare is wonderfully realized, and readers will find themselves pulling hard for her as she tries to do herIn her debut novel, Fixmer takes a look back at the roiling 1960s, when everything was in flux, even the traditions of the Catholic church. Mary Clare is one of nine children (another's on the way), and it seems one strategy for bringing order into her life is to become a saint. Well, first a nun and then a saint. So Mary Clare resolves to forgo sin, but she soon learns that black and white can unexpectedly turn into gray. When it comes to matters of family, friendship, religion, even war and race relations, the path is not always clear. Fixmer hits every hot-button topic of the day, including Mary Clare's mother's burgeoning feminism. Fewer issues more fully explored might have been a wiser editorial choice, but there's no doubt this gives readers a strong sense of what was happening during this turbulent time. Smartly delineated in part through letters to a nun, Mary Clare is wonderfully realized, and readers will find themselves pulling hard for her as she tries to do her best. -- B From the Back Cover 'Dear Reverend Mother, 'My name is Mary Clare O'Brian and I am in sixth grade. I would like to join the convent right after eighth grade before I start liking boys too much. I'm already having problems with boys liking me. Gregory in my class throws spitballs at me and told my best friend he likes me. I haven't told him that I want to be God's bride yet. Do you think I should?' Mary Clare is on the lookout for a miracle. Mary Clare O'Brian is determined to be a saint when she grows up (the halo will help cover her frizzy hair). But lately none of her prayers seem to be working the way she wants them to: her mother is losing her faith, her parents can't pay all the bills, and her brother receives a draft notice for the war in Vietnam. Mary Clare has a plan to help, but it just doesn't seem to be working. How is she supposed to become a saint when her world is falling apart? Advance Praise for Saint Training 'This is a novel that is painful, but true; honest, and hopeful; gutsy, and funny---a compelling read for all readers aware of thei