The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.

by Kate Messner

Book Overview

In the mountains of rural Vermont, fall is a season of beauty and transformation . . . but not for Gianna Z. With less than one week to collect twenty-five leaves for a science project, her spot at... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080279842X
• ISBN13: 9780802798428
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Walker & Company
• Length: 198 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Falling for this book

"There's more to a story than the part happening right now." Kate Messner manages to pack a lot around the themes of a family dealing with a beloved grandmother's illness and an important school leaf project. Family relationships, grief, bullies, friendship, procrastination, the awkward boy-girl thing, all provide for a thoughtful and intelligent look at a difficult time for a middle school girl. Gianna has a realistic voice - a frustrated tween with moments of understanding and wisdom unfolding. At times, though, the book is so beautifully descriptive that it is difficult to imagine the thoughts coming from a 7th grader..."My eyes skim the tops of fluffy red and yellow trees still holding onto September." Nonetheless it is a delightful and unusually layered story that tackles a number of difficult issues and comes out on top. Educational to boot. Not a happy ending, but a warm and satisfying finish, and you will love dear Nonna. Reminds me of the wonderful and equally layered Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

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't pull it together and take her project all the way to the finish line. The warm-up stretched just the right muscles so I was ready to take on the smooth cross country pacing of the novel. I trotted happily along through Gianna's story and enjoyed the scenery along the way. The emotional hills and valleys gave me a satisfying workout, and the cool down in the end made for a perfect run. Messner not only reached the finish line with THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z., she won the gold and the crowd went wild. Reviewed by: Joan Stradling

Good Book for Kids

Messner does a phenomenal job in making Gee, her friends, school and home life seem real. In many ways, Gee is a typical middle schooler who struggles with her school work, with budding emotions for her male best friend, and with the transformation of her family life due to her grandmother's failing memory. Without giving too much of the story away, Gee's quest to find 25 leaves and assemble them into a display for her science teacher becomes the metaphor for all of the changes and challenges that she is facing. I loved the tender and fragile relationship between Gee and her grandmother. And as a teacher, I recognized in Gianna so many of my own students who struggle to attend and to conform to the system and structure called school. My only criticism was that Gianna's perspective often times seemed more mature than I would expect from a 12 year old who leaned more towards being a creative free-spirit than the "I've had to grow up too fast" type of kid. Much of Gianna's reactions and dialogue seemed fairly aligned with her character's persona, but at times the narration which was from Gianna's point of view seemed more adult like. However, I don't believe that it takes away from the story and I would recommend the book to children and adults, especially for children who are dealing with a close family member whose health concerns are impacting the lives of other the family members. [...] Review by Aly

Beautiful book

I thought when I started this book that it would be just another boring middle school novel about due dates and boys. But I was pleasantly surprised. I love how Messner uses the symbolism of Gianna's ever-looming leaf project to illustrate all the struggles in Gianna's life--a wandering grandmother, unpleasant personalities, a quirky family, and finding her own unique style at school. Set in Vermont, this novel is also really funny and well-written. I hope Messner writes more!

Gianna is brilliant!

This is one of the most charming Middle Grade books I've read in ages. Funny (but not dumb), heartwarming (but not sentimental) - More Gianna, please!