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The Rain Catchers
Every story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. That's the way it is at grandmother's house where tea is served each day at four and tales of death and divorce, illness and abandonment are shared by grandmother's circle of friends. The women watch over one another and eveyone watches over Grayling -- whose own story has never been told her to hear. But in a summer of many changes, fourteen-year-old Grayling encounters love and romance, joy and saddness...and the need to know her own story -- from the very beginning.
192 pages, Paperback
First published March 25, 1991
About the author
Jean Thesman
44 books48 followersJean Thesman was a widely read and award-winning American author known for her young adult fiction, with a career spanning over 25 years. Her novels often explored themes of family, identity, and belonging, frequently featuring heroines who find their place in the world by uncovering truths about their families and forming chosen connections. “I loved telling the story,” she once wrote, “because I really believed that families were made up of the people you wanted, not the people you were stuck with.”
Born with a passion for storytelling and literacy, she learned to read before starting school and recalled having to wait until she was six years old before being allowed her first library card. Throughout her career, she authored around 40 books, most under her own name but a few under the pseudonym T.J. Bradstreet.
Thesman published a wide range of novels for teens and middle-grade readers, including stand-alone works such as The Rain Catchers, Calling the Swan, and Cattail Moon, as well as series like The Whitney Cousins, The Birthday Girls, and The Elliott Cousins. Her lyrical style, emotional depth, and strong female characters earned her a loyal readership. Notable works like The Ornament Tree and In the House of the Queen’s Beasts remain particularly admired for their nuanced storytelling and emotional resonance.
She was a longtime resident of Washington state and an active member of The Authors Guild and the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Jean Thesman passed away in 2016 at the age of 86, leaving behind a significant legacy in young adult literature.
Born with a passion for storytelling and literacy, she learned to read before starting school and recalled having to wait until she was six years old before being allowed her first library card. Throughout her career, she authored around 40 books, most under her own name but a few under the pseudonym T.J. Bradstreet.
Thesman published a wide range of novels for teens and middle-grade readers, including stand-alone works such as The Rain Catchers, Calling the Swan, and Cattail Moon, as well as series like The Whitney Cousins, The Birthday Girls, and The Elliott Cousins. Her lyrical style, emotional depth, and strong female characters earned her a loyal readership. Notable works like The Ornament Tree and In the House of the Queen’s Beasts remain particularly admired for their nuanced storytelling and emotional resonance.
She was a longtime resident of Washington state and an active member of The Authors Guild and the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Jean Thesman passed away in 2016 at the age of 86, leaving behind a significant legacy in young adult literature.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
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March 4, 2026Tried for AGES to recall the title of this book. I'd read it as a tween in the early 90s. I remember really liking it. But could only recall bits and pieces from the plot. I could picture the cover illustration in my mind, but not the title. Because of course not the title! Then... low and behold, here there it was on the donation table at my library. Manifestation is real, people! The Universe wanted me to reread this book, so I reread it.
And it was still really good. Held up. Some of the more serious stuff obviously went over my head when I was a tween (TW ) while other issues were only gently touched on (TW ). But the cozy coming-of-age vibe was still there as was the running theme of female empowerment. I'm happy I re-discovered this one.
And it was still really good. Held up. Some of the more serious stuff obviously went over my head when I was a tween (TW ) while other issues were only gently touched on (TW ). But the cozy coming-of-age vibe was still there as was the running theme of female empowerment. I'm happy I re-discovered this one.
September 4, 2016
For the longest time, I planned to name my future child Grayling. (I didn't.)
February 11, 2016
A girl named Grayling is fourteen and living with her grandmother and some other older women. Her father had been killed and her mother is bluntly too busy with her own life to deal with Grayling.
This is basically just a novel about average life for Grayling; her relationship to the other women in the house, her first date, a trip to visit her mother in San Francisco that doesn't go well, etc.
What is most interesting is the comparison of the relatively quiet and peaceful country-type life that Graying and the other women lead vs. the very scary, harsh and dangerous life that is pictured for San Francisco. It's an extremely sharp contrast.
The book is fairly interesting but nothing spectacular.
This is basically just a novel about average life for Grayling; her relationship to the other women in the house, her first date, a trip to visit her mother in San Francisco that doesn't go well, etc.
What is most interesting is the comparison of the relatively quiet and peaceful country-type life that Graying and the other women lead vs. the very scary, harsh and dangerous life that is pictured for San Francisco. It's an extremely sharp contrast.
The book is fairly interesting but nothing spectacular.
November 15, 2017
Good Read!!! Love the Story, love the character. Very sweet. Bad habit of starting other book so took a bit to finish, but loved it.
March 4, 2022
I’ve had this book for a very long time and finally read it! It was not for me.
April 21, 2024
This was my favorite book in Jr-Sr high. I remember the yellow binding and exactly where it was in our school library. I bought a copy on eBay last year and enjoyed reading it again.
March 1, 2025
I still remember how this book made me
feel when I first read it as a young girl. It's a magical book. I read it probably five times the year I found it at my school library.
feel when I first read it as a young girl. It's a magical book. I read it probably five times the year I found it at my school library.
June 15, 2009
I don't remember exactly when I first read a novel by Jean Thesman. I know I was probably a late tween or early teen. It was around the time when I had started wondering from the kids section of the library into the YA. This will probably sound funny but I used to look for books by authors who had the same last name as I did. It was not a very common name and I always thought it would be cool to find an author with the same last name as me. It was kind of a compulsive habit that I had for awhile every time I went to a bookstore or library. So there I was browsing the Ts in the YA section when I found Jean Thesman. Not my last name, but her books looked good and as it turned out, they were. I quickly read through all of her books that my library had.
I loved Jean Thesman's books and wanted to write stories like hers with heroines like Grayling from The Rain Catchers or Molly from Molly Donnelly. I just couldn't get enough of her characters or her stories.
So, now after that walk down memory lane, I guess I should tell you a little about this book.
Grayling lives in a house of storytellers. Every day at tea time the women of the house gather together to tell their stories, each one with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Sometimes they tell Grayling's story, except her story does not have an end. "I am like a book that was lost before the reader could finish it." (10) Grayling does not know what happened to her mother the night she showed up at home muddy, with her car missing. She does not know why her mother left her in Seattle with her Grandmother and moved to San Francisco to start a new life for herself. Grayling wants her story to have an ending.
Throw in the cute boy who is painting the house and the family drama of her best friend Colleen and you get yourself a pretty good novel.
A simply told coming of age story that tackles some controversial social issues. To be completely honest, if this was the first time I'd read this book or a book by Jean Thesman, I don't think I would have been as wrapped up in as I was when I was younger but it was nice to re-visit this old favorite.
I loved Jean Thesman's books and wanted to write stories like hers with heroines like Grayling from The Rain Catchers or Molly from Molly Donnelly. I just couldn't get enough of her characters or her stories.
So, now after that walk down memory lane, I guess I should tell you a little about this book.
Grayling lives in a house of storytellers. Every day at tea time the women of the house gather together to tell their stories, each one with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Sometimes they tell Grayling's story, except her story does not have an end. "I am like a book that was lost before the reader could finish it." (10) Grayling does not know what happened to her mother the night she showed up at home muddy, with her car missing. She does not know why her mother left her in Seattle with her Grandmother and moved to San Francisco to start a new life for herself. Grayling wants her story to have an ending.
Throw in the cute boy who is painting the house and the family drama of her best friend Colleen and you get yourself a pretty good novel.
A simply told coming of age story that tackles some controversial social issues. To be completely honest, if this was the first time I'd read this book or a book by Jean Thesman, I don't think I would have been as wrapped up in as I was when I was younger but it was nice to re-visit this old favorite.
February 28, 2009
Thesman, J. (1991). The Rain Catchers. New York: Avon Books.
0380717115
The Rain Catchers is about stories, storytelling and the condition of having an unfinished story. Gray, a fourteen-year-old girl, lives with her grandmother and five other women. She is dealing with the approaching death of one of the women, her best friend’s abuse at the hands of her father and having a crush on the boy who is repainting her house over the summer. She also struggles with her difficult relationship with her mother, who despite leaving Grayling with her grandmother for unknown reasons as a baby, now wants Gray to move to San Francisco to live with her.
This gentle and beautifully written book examines women’s roles, community and difficulties. Gray, herself, is a very emotionally intelligent character.
When first beginning this book, students should be prepared for the overwhelming number of names to be thrown at them. Within the opening chapter, the six house residents, Gray’s best friend Colleen and Colleen’s stepmother and father are introduced. Plus, Aaron, the crush-worthy house painter and three dogs are also presented. To help this, the teacher should encourage students to make a chart or glossary of the characters and their relationships.
Activities to do with the book:
A teacher could use this book to guide students in the craft of writing and storytelling. A class could also discuss ways the characters deal with trauma or how they gain empowerment.
Favorite Quotes:
“If I died,” Colleen says, her voice dreamy, “if a buffalo ran over me or I fell off a mountain, would you tell my father how much I hated him?” (p. 1).
“It’s my grandmother’s house, where we are safe, where the honeysuckle rain falls in the summer, where most stories have beginnings, middles, and ends” (p. 12).
“I don’t want to argue. I want to find something we can agree on and discuss, a reason for us to go somewhere else to talk” (p. 33).
For more of my reviews, visit sjkessel.blogspot.com.
0380717115
The Rain Catchers is about stories, storytelling and the condition of having an unfinished story. Gray, a fourteen-year-old girl, lives with her grandmother and five other women. She is dealing with the approaching death of one of the women, her best friend’s abuse at the hands of her father and having a crush on the boy who is repainting her house over the summer. She also struggles with her difficult relationship with her mother, who despite leaving Grayling with her grandmother for unknown reasons as a baby, now wants Gray to move to San Francisco to live with her.
This gentle and beautifully written book examines women’s roles, community and difficulties. Gray, herself, is a very emotionally intelligent character.
When first beginning this book, students should be prepared for the overwhelming number of names to be thrown at them. Within the opening chapter, the six house residents, Gray’s best friend Colleen and Colleen’s stepmother and father are introduced. Plus, Aaron, the crush-worthy house painter and three dogs are also presented. To help this, the teacher should encourage students to make a chart or glossary of the characters and their relationships.
Activities to do with the book:
A teacher could use this book to guide students in the craft of writing and storytelling. A class could also discuss ways the characters deal with trauma or how they gain empowerment.
Favorite Quotes:
“If I died,” Colleen says, her voice dreamy, “if a buffalo ran over me or I fell off a mountain, would you tell my father how much I hated him?” (p. 1).
“It’s my grandmother’s house, where we are safe, where the honeysuckle rain falls in the summer, where most stories have beginnings, middles, and ends” (p. 12).
“I don’t want to argue. I want to find something we can agree on and discuss, a reason for us to go somewhere else to talk” (p. 33).
For more of my reviews, visit sjkessel.blogspot.com.
April 2, 2016
I just finished this book and my overall option of it is that it was okay. In the last few chapters I found out why Grayling's mother left Grayling with her Grandparents. I also found out what happened to Graying's dad. After Grayling found out, she choose to go back home to Seattle on Saturday morning. Grayling cried because she felt bad for leaving her mom, but she told her that she will come back to visit again. I didn't really like this book because it was sad and it didn't really make sense to me. I also wasn't really happy with the ending because I felt like the book could have ended in a much better way. Even though I didn't like the book, there were still some parts I did enjoy reading. The beginning was boring and towards the middle of the book things got exciting so I enjoyed the time I spent reading there. I wouldn't recommend this book because I wasn't entertained all the way to the end. But I would recommend it if you want an easy book to read because to me, this book was easy to read since I didn't have to search up words I didn't know too often.
August 18, 2025
This short novel takes place in a little over one week, but an incredible amount of growth, devastation, and maturity bloom for 14-year-old Grayling. In the wilds of Washington state, she lives with her grandmother, aunt, former pediatrician, and various other women, where she learns to trust herself above relying on others. Others always let her down.
This one summer, Gray discovers the truth about her story. She finds a young love. And in the process, she strengthens her resolve until she is strong enough to carry the inevitable grief of the dead that is always a part of living.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone.
This one summer, Gray discovers the truth about her story. She finds a young love. And in the process, she strengthens her resolve until she is strong enough to carry the inevitable grief of the dead that is always a part of living.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone.
July 3, 2021
Reread, to my knowledge the third time. This was a favorite of mine as a young teen. I bought a copy sometime in my 20’s, and read it then, but really didn’t remember that much about it this time. Lovely, quiet, character focused book about chosen family, storytelling, and death. So sweet, highly recommended.
December 12, 2019
This book was integral to my adolescence and defined so much of my feelings and things I loved and still love to this day. It also showed me a group of women taking care of one another, protecting one another, which meant so much to my understanding of female relationships. It also taught me to trust my intuition which is the most valuable lesson of all.
January 16, 2016
I read this book in middle school. I loved it then, and the more magical (to a 12 year old) aspects of the book (afternoon tea and catching honeysuckle rain) has stayed with me. I almost wish I hadn't reread it though. The parts I loved I still enjoyed, but I found myself frustrated by the plot and the main character, Grayling.
April 30, 2009
I love this book for it's simple prose that let you instantly get to know and love the characters, and set the mood perfectly for this coming of age story about one girl's search for the end of her story.
June 5, 2010
I wanted to like this book more than I did. The long list of characters was confusing, and not all of the narrative threads were resolved in a satisfactory fashion. On the plus side, dialogue is done well, and the pace is good.
October 5, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. It is a classic ya book with elements that all English teachers will love. The book is filled with rich language and family traditions that all readers are able to relate to.
April 24, 2016
I can't remember when I read this, but it must have been in middle school or fifth grade. It's telling that the title and the story have stayed with me for so long. I suspect it's worth revisiting soon.
October 8, 2007
I read this in the 6th grade. I really liked it and I could relate sort of. Great for teens!
June 12, 2022
Like having a chat with an old friend.
November 18, 2008
One of my favorites as a child, read over and over again.
January 16, 2009
I remember reading this a couple times when I was younger, and I really liked it. Enough to read it 2-3 times. I should read it again and see how I feel about it as an adult.
August 15, 2012
This is the book that got me hooked on Jean Thesman. Her writing is so easily able to connect to her readers through similar life experiences of trials, first love, and heart-felt drama.
October 8, 2011
I really enjoyed this. The story was deep enough to keep me intrigued but light and fluffy enough to make me giggle.
April 30, 2012
This was a delightful book! I give it 3.5 stars***.
October 18, 2013
Amazing
September 18, 2014
a lack of plot
January 30, 2022
My favorite book as a teenager. I probably read it five times.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews