Sixth-grader Mary Clare already knows that she wants to be a nun. The personal and political intersect for her as the Vietnam War, women's liberation, and civil rights alternately test and sharpen her faith. With an authentic-sounding writing style, the narrative brings 1967 to life and still manages to resonate today. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The politically fervent period of the late 1960s, with its dramatic upheavals in family, gender, social, and religious conventions, comes to life with pathos and humor in this powerful debut. Sixth-grader Mary Clare, the fourth of nine children in a devout Catholic family in smalltown Wisconsin, works diligently to help her harried parents maintain order in their chaotic household. Striving for sainthood and the imagined orderliness of convent life, she corresponds with a mother superior, whose job she desires, because "I'm a leader, not a follower." While witnessing her mother's despair at yet another pregnancy, her older brothers' conflicts regarding the Vietnam War (one wants to enlist early, another applies for conscientious objector status), and adults' varied opinions on religious leaders' engagement in the civil rights movement, Mary Clare also struggles for social acceptance among Protestant neighbors, and at school, where she feels shamed for being poor. Ingenuity, keen observational skills, and compassion grant this feisty protagonist growing insight into the complex choices faced by those she loves, as well as her own character and calling. Ages 9-12. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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's story is wonderfully realized, and readers will find themselves pulling hard for her as she tries to do her best.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist

Fixmer's debut stuffs so many issues into one novel that it never reaches a conclusion, which is unfortunate, because her headstrong, resourcefulheroine, Mary Clare O'Brian, deserves better. It's 1967. Mary Clare's mother is despondent over her tenth pregnancy, her father's job won't pay the bills and Sister Agonywants $12 for Mary Clare's little sister's First Communion supplies. Mary Clare bargains with God: If he helps her family out of this mess, she will become a saint. Mary Clare means it, but she doesn't stop at prayer--she sells homemade cookies, goes without her school lunch and even sells her glow-in-the-dark statues of the Holy Virgin to get Gabriella what she needs.That's when the book loses track--friendship problems, the Vietnam War, Vatican II, civil-rights riots, the Feminine Mystique--it's all in there, and by the end, the number of issues combines with a truly staggering amount of religious detail to overwhelm the story. Mary Clare's letters from a Mother Superior are some of the bestpassages of the book--light, clear and focused, the way one wishes the narrative could be.(Historical fiction.8-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr 5-8-Sixth-grader Mary Clare is the oldest girl in a large Catholic family. The year is 1967, and with only her father working, her family is struggling financially. She fears that her mother, who is expecting yet another child, is losing her faith. On top of all this, her beloved older brother receives his draft notice for the Vietnam War. Wanting to help her family with all of their problems, Mary Clare decides to become a saint. She makes bargains with God in exchange for His help, but worries she might not be saint material. (She passes notes in class.) The story is by turns heartbreaking and hilarious. Unfortunately, the very thing that makes it unique may limit its audience. The novel is so steeped in Roman Catholicism that it's best appreciated by those who have had a parochial-school education or are familiar with the history of the faith, especially the changes brought by Vatican II and what they meant for practicing Catholics. Glimpses into the Civil Rights and Women's Liberation Movements of the 1960s and the role religion played in both heighten the sense of time and place.-Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.