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45th out of 58 books
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394 voters
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The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z
by
Kate Messner (Goodreads Author)
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’...more
Hardcover, 208 pages
Published
September 1st 2009
by Walker & Company
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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 understandi...more
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 understandi...more
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 ...more
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, ...more
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 f...more
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 f...more
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 t...more
You'd be wrong.
Because t...more
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
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Heidi
rated it
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
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 prou...more
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 prou...more
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...more
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...more
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 mot...more
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...more
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...more
Gianna is going through a lot: homework assignments that she hasn't really worked on, a big cross country meet, a classmate that is out to get her, and her grandmother who is slipping away into Alzheimer's. This is a very realistic look into a what a family goes through when someone starts showing signs of Alzheimer's. The parents don't want to admit that something is going on, everyone is scared, grandma wonders away. The fact that the story is told through the eyes of Gianna, a middle schooler...more
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,...more
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, ...more
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, ...more
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
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 mom...more
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 mom...more
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
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 m...more
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 l...more
Procrastinating kids aren't new to children's l...more
CuriousLibrarian
rated it
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 Alzheime...more
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 Alzheime...more
Kim
rated it
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 countl...more
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 countl...more
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 abou...more
The leaf identification project really seemed interesting, and I wish more information abou...more
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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 ...more
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 ...more
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...more
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...more
The challenges and triumphs of Gianna's life are all represented through her leaf collection project. Running is Gianna's strength and passion but participating in the important sectionals meet depends on the completion of this science project. Organization is Gianna's weakness; one thing or another prevents her from keeping up with her homework deadlines. Gianna has a strong, although somewhat preoccupied family. Being brought to school in a hearse (her father is a funeral director) does cause...more
The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z is just that... brilliant. With solid pacing, a lovable main character, and profoundly important undertones, Messner seamlessly articulates the conflicting emotions of Gianna, track star extraordinaire, artist, friend, daughter, and granddaughter. Though it may seem a bit young for the savvy reader, in part due to the charming, light-hearted cover, I urge readers of all ages to give this one a shot. It's one of the most moving, unforgettable stories of love and fam...more
First I have to say that I loved every minute of this book. Gianna brought me back to my middle grade years. I still have bad dreams about not being able to find an assignment that I swear I had completed and digging deep into my locker, paper falling endlessly on top of me. All of Messner's characters are complex and interesting. When Gianna thinks about doing something out of anger, sadness or embarrassment, the thoughts are honest and raw. In the end Gianna, forgetful and disorganized as she...more
Took me a while but I finally got to this one.
Have a third grade teacher who read Marty McGuire to her kiddos and then started this one. She asked me at lunch because she was concerned about a couple lines that intimated at "something" between Gianna and Zig. So, I told her I'd read it over the weekend.
So glad I did! I am happy to report that there is no need to worry about finishing this one with her kiddos. The story is so much more ... Gianna and her best fri...more
Have a third grade teacher who read Marty McGuire to her kiddos and then started this one. She asked me at lunch because she was concerned about a couple lines that intimated at "something" between Gianna and Zig. So, I told her I'd read it over the weekend.
So glad I did! I am happy to report that there is no need to worry about finishing this one with her kiddos. The story is so much more ... Gianna and her best fri...more
To Gianna, the Cross-Country Sectionals mean everything but if she doesn't finish her science project the coach will let Bianca go. Gianna has nothing good to say or think about Bianca, a fellow 7th grader who is all about winning at any cost. Gianna's best friend, Zig, is more than willing to help her but every time she thinks she ready to get down to business, something happens, something big, like her Nonna, who lives with them, suddenly becoming fuzzy, almost disappearing in front of her. He...more
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Kate Messner is an author and National Board Certified middle school English teacher. Her books for kids include THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z (Walker/Bloomsbury, 2009),SUGAR AND ICE (Walker/Bloomsbury Dec. 2010) MARTY MCGUIRE (Scholastic Press, MAY 2011), SEAMONSTER'S FIRST DAY (Chronicle, Summer 2011) and OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW (Chronicle, Fall 2011). Kate also wrote SPITFIRE and CHAMPLAIN AND...more
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