Going On Nine: A Novel

By: Catherine Underhill Fitzpatrick

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Synopsis: In the summer of 1956, a girl goes in search of freedom: &“Chronicles a time of great change in America . . . will keep you reading long past your bedtime.&” —Kelly O&’Connor McNees, author of The Island of Doves A child swipes her mother&’s engagement ring, snatches her sister&’s brand-new nightgown, and runs outside to play &“bride.&” She soon loses the ring, rips the gown, and, when she gets caught, decides it&’s time to pack her suitcase and make a run for it. When the policeman brings her home that night, her parents&’ reaction isn&’t what she expected. In fact, they tell her to try living at some of her friends&’ houses in their little St. Louis suburb, so she can find a better family… What happens next is a summer-long journey in which Grace Mitchell rides shotgun in a Plymouth Belvedere, hunkers in the back of a rattletrap vegetable truck, crawls into a crumbling tunnel, dresses up with a prom queen, and keeps vigil in the bedroom of a molestation victim. There are reasons why Grace remembers the summer of 1956 for the rest of her life. Those are just a few. Through the eyes of a child and the mature woman she becomes, we make the journey with Grace and discover important truths about life, equality, family, and the soul-searching quest for belonging.