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The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.

by Kate Messner (Goodreads Author)

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 470 ratings · 124 reviews

Gianna Z has less than one week to collect, identify, and creatively display 25 leaves for her science project—or else she won’t be able to compete in the upcoming cross-country race. As the deadline for her leaf project draws near, life keeps getting in the way. Some things are within Gee’s control, like her own procrastination, but others aren’t, like Biana Rinaldi’s att...more

Hardcover, 208 pages

Published September 1st 2009 by Walker Childrens

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Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

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Nov 17, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-gold-star-award-winner, trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com

If Gianna Zales doesn't finish her seventh-grade leaf collection project in time, her spot in the cross country sectionals will be filled by her nemesis. Though she had plenty of time to do the project, Gianna left it until the last minute.

It doesn't help her state of mind that her father drives her to school in a hearse, her grandmother keeps forgetting things, and her mother pretends like nothing is wrong.

This fall will be a disaster if Gianna can...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Denise Krebs rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-lit-intermediate

I read the book The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner. Gianna is a delightful character—she’s an artist, a runner, and a bit disorganized. Sometimes she has a hard time focusing on things she has to do for school, like the all-consuming leaf collection project for science. However, she is always busy with important and “genius” work—like splatter painting her room and painting other pictures inspired by the masters. She wears her feelings on her sleeve, as does her beloved Nonna, her m...more I read the book The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner. Gianna is a delightful character—she’s an artist, a runner, and a bit disorganized. Sometimes she has a hard time focusing on things she has to do for school, like the all-consuming leaf collection project for science. However, she is always busy with important and “genius” work—like splatter painting her room and painting other pictures inspired by the masters. She wears her feelings on her sleeve, as does her beloved Nonna, her mother’s mother, who lives with them.

I love the way the author helped us get to know Gianna, Zig, Ian, Mr. and Mrs. Zales, Nonna, Ruby, and even the evil principal, Mr. Randolph, and Gianna’s arch rival, Bianca. The characters just live normal lives for a few weeks during one autumn in Vermont, but they come alive on the pages.

I learned an important lesson about writing from reading this book. I don’t have to write wild, fantastic tales about future dystopias to write a good story. The last three times I’ve done NaNoWriMo, that’s what I attempted (the crazy sci-fi stuff ). This book didn’t need an outrageous plot line because characters were so well-developed. I couldn’t stop reading The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. because I cared about the people, particularly Gianna and her grandmother, Nonna. I wanted to see what happened next in their relationships, which were never hokey.

I think there is a second reason I learned about writing from this book. Last summer, I participated in the Teachers Write Summer Writing Camp. Kate Messner and a host of other published authors guided us through writing exercises. I felt like I got to know Kate over the summer as I participated in the activities and read her inspiring comments on my and other teachers’ work. Now when I read her books, I’m reminded of the summer writing camp, and I can hear her teaching me about writing through her stories.

I would recommend this book to any young reader.

I support independent bookstores. You can use this link to find one near you or order THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. on IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/978080...(less)

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Sep 19, 2011 Teacher. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reviewed at my blog: HERE @ Teacher.Mother.Reader Book Blog

The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner is a middle grade fiction book that deals with a very real family situation. Gianna is a very likable character who loves to run and doesn’t enjoy science class. When her class is assigned one of those, leaf collection assignments, Gianna quickly gets overwhelmed. Personally she is dealing with a lot in her family. Her mother is distant and cold, her father is not understanding and business...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: star-reader-2011-2012

Gianna is a likeable mess with poor organizational skills and time management issues. But what she lacks in good study habits, she more than makes up with her creative, caring, earnest side. She loves her family, especially her Nonna who lives with them. But Nonna is forgetting things lately and her behavior is sometimes erratic which is worrisome to Gianna. And, to top it off, she may miss out on a big cross country meet if her science grade doesn't improve very soon. A big project is due but G...more

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May 15, 2011 Rachael rated it 3 of 5 stars

Because this was on the shelf of books recommended by the librarians, and because there is a quote from Linda Urban (author of one of my MOST favorite books ever) praising this book, I wanted to love it. But I just liked it. It was good; I appreciated the loving relationship Gianna has with her Nonna. I think I'm partly frustrated that it covers such a short period of time. I wanted to know more about what was going to happen with Nonna, and also with the cross country sectionals. However, maybe...more

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Sep 23, 2009 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-books

Up front, I have to disclose that I know Kate personally, and that she very kindly handed me a signed copy of the ARC for her forthcoming novel when I saw her at the New England SCBWI Conference. You might assume that, with Kate being a friend, I'd be predisposed to want to like her novel, and you'd be correct. You might assume that with her being a friend, if I'm mentioning her novel in a public forum such as this, I'm going to say that I like it.

You'd be wrong.

Because this novel? I love it.

Ka...more

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May 31, 2011 Robin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-lit-realistic-fiction, fall, family, school

Seventh grade Gianna must finish her leaf collection so that she will be eligible to run in the upcoming cross-country sectionals. At the same time she struggles with family issues, as her beloved Nonna is becoming more and more forgetful, the first stirrings of romance with longtime friend Zig, and mean girls at school who try to sabotage her project. Gianna's mother is reluctant to face her mother's declining mental health and in trying to be supportive becomes a bit overbearing. But Gianna is...more

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Dec 04, 2009 Melissa rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was a touching story about a girl whose grandmother is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. The relationship between Gianna and her grandmother was nicely developed and one of the strengths of the book. My biggest problem with the rest of the book was that I had a really hard time believing Gianna was so disorganized that she couldn't remember simple deadlines or aspects of an assignment. She always seems shocked when she finds out an additional detail, like "oh-we-were-supposed-do-finish-al...more This was a touching story about a girl whose grandmother is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. The relationship between Gianna and her grandmother was nicely developed and one of the strengths of the book. My biggest problem with the rest of the book was that I had a really hard time believing Gianna was so disorganized that she couldn't remember simple deadlines or aspects of an assignment. She always seems shocked when she finds out an additional detail, like "oh-we-were-supposed-do-finish-all-the-summaries-by-today?" She's a track athlete, and it's difficult to reconcile the fact that she would be so driven in one aspect of her life, as a runner, but not driven enough regarding academics, especially when her track career hangs in the balance if she does not complete this leaf assignment in prompt and satisfactory fashion. There was at least one too many twists regarding the completion of the assignment; maybe the author would've been better off having her complete several assignments for different classes by the same due date; then I would've believed her inability to get everything done on time. I also didn't like how her rival runner, Bianca, does something to obstruct Gianna's progress but Bianca really doesn't get adequate payback for this misdeed. Gianna's friend Zig is a very likeable character, but he seemed too cool to actually wear glasses with duct tape on them in one scene. And although his mom works two jobs and his reason for wearing duct-taped glasses is that glasses are expensive, I did not believe this small detail. A mom who works two jobs to make ends meet also seems like the kind of mom who would work a third job before she'd let her son go around in duct-taped glasses. Perhaps I'm nitpicking, but it seemed like the wrong detail to show Zig's selflessness, a trait which we had already picked up on anyway. There was never really any true suspense for me regarding the ending. I knew she would ultimately finish the assignment on time somehow, and with last-minute excitement to create some suspense, and so this aspect of the book felt almost formulaic. Still, I think Messner is a very good writer and I would definitely read other books of hers. (less)

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Feb 26, 2012 Barb Middleton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-read-aloud, realistic

I haven't read too many children's books that tackle the process of aging and how it affects family as a main theme, and Messner not only does that in this book, but does it very well. Gianna is the star on the cross country running team, but she has a problem. If she doesn't finish her science project on time, she won't be able to run in sectionals. Bianca, the bully, is waiting to replace her and Gianna has all sorts of distractions from finishing the project such as her Grandma Nonna who is b...more I haven't read too many children's books that tackle the process of aging and how it affects family as a main theme, and Messner not only does that in this book, but does it very well. Gianna is the star on the cross country running team, but she has a problem. If she doesn't finish her science project on time, she won't be able to run in sectionals. Bianca, the bully, is waiting to replace her and Gianna has all sorts of distractions from finishing the project such as her Grandma Nonna who is becoming forgetful in a scary way.

Gianna's science project is on identifying leaves and trees. Gianna and her friend Zig identify trees with people that they know and as a way to remember them. The leaves represent feelings about death, feelings about people, and characteristics of friends, neighbors, and family. They are littered throughout the entire story and add a richness to the text. Messner has nice descriptions and a strong ending. Gianna's Grandma Nonna has the beginning of Alzheimer's and everyone deals with it in a different way. Gianna is scared and wants to talk about it while her mother is in denial and doesn't want to deal with it. Gianna has a classmate whose grandma dies and because Gianna's father owns the funeral parlor in town, Gianna ends up going and helping the classmate cope with her grief. The two become friends and Gianna learns to stick up for her friend against Bianca, the class bully.

The plot has a couple of slow spots such as when Zig and Gianna take a bike trip to go look at leaves. This is where the two connect people with trees and we see their friendship but not much happens. The tension is that Gianna realizes she's way behind on her project but we already know that. Also, when she keeps missing the details regarding the project it seemed like it happened one too many times or was forced. I did think at one point, "Are you kidding?" There's scatterbrained and there's scatterbrained. But hey, it's possible. I just think the story would have been stronger if there was another strong reason as to why she couldn't get make the deadline (versus always just forgetting the details). But this doesn't detract from a well-told story. Gianna and Zig like each other but only the suggestion of their friendship turning into a romance is evident.

I like how the ending has families and friends putting together memory books as a way to deal with the classmate's loss of her grandma and Nonna losing her memory. My mom has Alzheimer's and I like the part where the disease is described as "pages being torn from a book" until all that is left is the covers (the character is quoting Elie Wiesel). What a powerful image. The book also reminds me of my grandma and how much I loved her. Gianna and her grandma have a close loving relationship. What a terrific book.
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Aug 20, 2010 Heidi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-book-challenge, children-0-12, fiction, for-work, tween-10-13, character, juv-6-12

This was a light read--which is always nice at the end of the Summer Reading Program! I enjoyed the feeling of autumn in the book, and it makes me even more anxious for that wonderful season to commence. I liked the lessons that Gianna learned in the book, and I liked the story and the characters. But I thought it was a bit much for a book that takes place over the course of 8 days. I also noticed some discrepancies in timing and such, but that's the editor in me. I loved that Gianna is a runner...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Tracie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: elem, middle-school, contemporary-lit

If Gianna doesn't finish her leaf collection by the deadline her rival will run in the upcoming cross country sectionals. Gianna is trying, but sabotage, focus and her grandmother's scary memory lapses all contribute to Gianna once again not handing in an assignment on time. I appreciated several things about this story:
1.) Nonna's memory loss was handled with sensitivity and the realistic outlook that things would never get better.
2.) Though Gianna's mom meant well, I was proud of Gianna for...more

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Jun 27, 2010 Toby Speed rated it 4 of 5 stars

What I loved most about this book was the way everything came together in the end. The ending is perfect and beautiful. There's a quietness to the words that I also loved, as I prefer books that don't hit me over the head with style and sass.

The reason I gave it four stars is that some aspects of the book didn't work as well for me. I didn't completely understand Gianna, her extreme forgetfulness and the stress she felt from the leaf project. I kept asking myself, why? Why is this so hard for he...more

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Nov 08, 2010 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-school-books, realistic-fiction

Gianna Zales must complete her collection, identification and labeling of 25 different leaves by the due date (in one week) or she won't be able to participate in cross country sectionals, and Gianna is the star of the team. Organization and focus are not her strengths; she's waited until the last minute to begin the project although she's had plenty of time since it was assigned. However, Gianna isn't the kind of girl to make excuses, so with help and prodding from her best friend Zig, her moth...more

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Jun 20, 2010 Sherry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gianna has never been one to do things in a timely manner; so when her science project is close to being due, she relies on her trusty friends to help her, only this time Gianna will have to take the fall.

Messner does a great job of incorporating science and medical terminology throughout this book. I love how she describes each leaf in detail and the tree on which it was retrieved. She describes what it feels like to watch someone you love slowly wither away until there is nothing left.

Although...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Tanja rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chn-realistic-fiction

Gianna is such a real and likable character and middle grade readers should have no trouble identifying with her - who hasn't been behind schedule on an important school project before, who hasn't felt ridiculed and left out, who hasn't felt overwhelmed and anxious about problems the adults in your life try to hide from you... Kate Messner delicately deals with many of the pains of growing up but impressed me most in addressing the impact an aging loved one can have on the entire family. A beaut...more

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Jun 14, 2011 Susan Morris rated it 2 of 5 stars

Nominated for the 2011-12 Mark Twain Award in Missouri, I had a hard time getting through this book. It was not until the last half of the book that I began to gain interest in the story. Gianna is a girl who has a problem getting things done and always puts things off until the last minute. With a large school project looming, she finds all kinds of excuses for starting it "later". Her overly stern mom gets tiresome, conversations between people seem disconnected in the beginning, she is bullie...more

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Jun 09, 2010 Laura Pauling rated it 5 of 5 stars

Gianna has less than one week to complete her leaf project if she wants to compete in the upcoming cross country sectionals, but issues like procrastination, disorganization - and her grandmother's declining health - seem destined to keep her from finishing.

I loved this book. The writing. The characters. This is a classic middle grade with the perfect combination of conflict with Gianna's school life and home life. But what really moved me was the relationship Gianna had with Nonna, her grandmot...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Kristin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grade, tweens

Seventh grade is tough. Just imagine having your funeral director Dad drop you off in his hearse! For Gianna Z., these trials of school: identifying leaves for a science project, suffering sparkly blonde bullies, and making the cross-country sectionals team all take a back seat when she discovers that her Nonna is having trouble with her memory. Upper-middle grade readers will identify with Gianna and will cheer for her as she discovers her brilliant colors and amazing strength, just like the su...more

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Nov 29, 2009 Sandra Stiles rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grades

This story will definitely resonate with middle schoolers. Gianna Z. needs to turn in the science project to compete with the track team. She has a habit of leaving things until the last minute. For the project she has to collect and classify 24 different leaves. Throw in to this mess typical changes that occur in middle school and you have a great story. Gianna’s childhood friend has started looking at her through a “boys” eyes. Her grandmother Nona lives with them and she loves doing things wi...more

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Mar 11, 2011 Wanett rated it 5 of 5 stars

Possible spoilers??

This story made me oddly emotional. Well, I guess it's not that odd. Most stories that deal, even in part, with parent-child dynamics affect me that way. I think it was a sweet story, I found the leaf theme an interesting story element and I like the not all-tied-up ending. I think that's good for the age group the book is actually for. I love that for once the love interest (for lack of a better word) was not a suave handsome boy and that we get to imagine the moment when the...more

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May 20, 2011 Evy rated it 3 of 5 stars

The reason it took me so long to read this book is because it didn't captivate me enough. Because it didn't captivate me enough, I labeled it as unimportant on my library shelf, and got to reading other books first. But when I picked it up again, I was only about a few dozen pages from the end, so I thought I might pick it up again. The ending was okay in my opinion, but it did get me more interested. There were a few intriguing parts, which is why this book earned another star. Mostly, I just t...more

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Jun 11, 2011 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, middle-grade

There's a lot going on in Kate Messner's middle grades novel. Gianna has a huge leaf project due next week. She needs to collect, identify, label, and give information about 25 leaves. And while she starts the project and has everybody worrying about it for her, she still can't manage to work on it. Gianna's family is a bit quirky too. Her father is a funeral home director and her Italian grandmother, Nonna, is starting to have problems with her memory. Added to the mix is a collection of middle...more

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Oct 19, 2009 babyhippoface rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-fiction

7th-grader Gianna would rather be running cross-country than doing homework or organizing her things or gathering leaves for her collection, which is due next week, and it seems that every time she starts to buckle down and get somewhat serious about the project, a minor crisis diverts her attention. But if she doesn't get the leaf collection organized, labeled, annotated, and turned in on time, she won't be allowed to run at sectionals.

Procrastinating kids aren't new to children's literature, b...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Dagmar rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens, read-aloud

Gianna Z is a runner and an artist. She is in seventh grade and needs to finish a science project if she wants to run in the cross country sectionals. Bianca, a classmate, desperately wants to take Gianna's place at sectionals. Meanwhile, Gianna's grandmother Nonna, has Alzheimer's. Her family's struggle to cope with her grandmother 's illness is intertwined with Gianna's struggle to finish her project so she can go to sectionals.

I disliked how cliched Gianna's mom, her best friend and the book'...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Holly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: art, bullying, character-development, grandparents, intermediate-kids-book, nature, metaphor, realistic-fiction, sensory-details, sports, theme, poetry, young-adult-book, award-winner

I really liked this story of Gianna, a seventh-grader who loves to run and draw. However, she just can't seem to get herself together at school. A huge leaf-collecting project is looming over her head, and she keeps missing deadlines. Bianca, a glittery, narcissistic cross-country teammate constantly bullies her and is next in line to take Gianna's spot at sectionals if Gianna doesn't make a decent grade in science. If that isn't enough pressure, Gianna's beloved granmother, Nonna, is not acting...more

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Jan 11, 2010 CuriousLibrarian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, best-reads-2009, best-children-s-books-older-readers

I adored this book! Gianna in her epic capacity for disorganization and procrastination reminded me of a younger (and thankfully worse) version of myself.

Gianna has left her large leaf identification project until the last few days, as usual. If she doesn't finish on time she won't be able to compete in the big cross-country meet, and she's one of the top runners. Add to this a rival who is trying to take her place on the team, a grandmother who is slipping into early stage Alzheimer's, a mothe...more

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Aug 16, 2009 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-literature, contemporary-fiction, fiction, reviewed-for-slj, young-adult-fiction, award-winner

Grades 4-7
Seventh grader Gianna Zales loves art and cross-country running. She is not so crazy about research projects or anything involving time-management skills, so although she has known about Mrs. Loring’s leaf project for several weeks, somehow she’s gotten to within a week of the due date without anything to show for it. But how hard can it be to find and catalog 25 different varieties of leaves? Especially in Vermont, where Robert Frost was inspired to write “Birches” and countless other...more

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Jul 25, 2009 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-mt-bookpile

I really wished I'd liked this more, but there were too many things that I think the author tried to do at the same time for it to work. Take, for example, Gianna's procrastination/inability to organize. I thought we'd get some AD/HD information, but no. Or perhaps her mother was afraid that with Nonna showing signs of Alzheimers, that Gianna was acting a little too like Nonna? Again, no.

The leaf identification project really seemed interesting, and I wish more information about the different t...more

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Oct 10, 2009 Steph Su rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, best-of-09, debs09

Can you really go wrong with a 2009 middle-grade novel? THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z seems to say that no, you can’t. Kate Messner is a shining voice in middle-grade fiction, and her characters will rank right up there with Sharon Creech’s for best-friend potential.

Messner effortlessly introduces us to the totally normal yet exceptionally charming Zales family within just a few pages. Characterization leaps off the page: Gianna’s mother, father, little brother, and grandmother all sound like t...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Jenn O'Brien rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved this book. It reminds of what the Clementine series might be when she grows up.

I like that not only did you see the day-to-day trials that Gianna went through such as cross-country team practice, school “bullies” and trying to meet a project deadline. But at the same time, she was dealing with much weightier issues such as death of a grandparent and Alzheimer’s disease.

The author does a wonderful job of flushing out all the characters into three-dimensional beings. You can picture exactly...more

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About Kate Messner

Kate Messner is an award-winning author, TED 2012 speaker, and former middle school English teacher. Her books for kids include THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z.,SUGAR AND ICE, and EYE OF THE STORM (Walker/Bloomsbury Dec. 2010) the MARTY MCGUIRE series (Scholastic), SEA MONSTER'S FIRST DAY, and OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW (Chronicle, Books). Kate also wrote SPITFIRE and CHAMPLAIN AND THE SILENT ONE, bot...more

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