Destiny

by Vicki Grove

Destiny takes a job reading to Mrs. Peck, an elderly woman, in order to make money, but soon discovers that the job has taught her much more.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult

169 pages, Hardcover

First published June 19, 2000

About the author

Vicki Grove lives in a 100-year-old farmhouse on a few acres of land outside of Ionia, Missouri (pop. 118). Her son and daughter, Michael and J.D., attend college, and her husband Mike is a music teacher and directs a bell choir. They have lots of cats and a goldfish pond teeming with bossy, headstrong goldfish. Sharing the pond with that rambunctious crew is one gentle red-eared turtle, Yertle. Behind the house grow three cherry trees, three apple trees, a corn patch, grape vines, and, on a good year, enough strawberries for Vicki to make a dozen jars of jam.

Vicki has written for magazines ranging from Twilight Zone to Reader’s Digest. She received the 1996 SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for a story in American Girl. Altogether, she’s published about 300 articles and short stories. “Because it’s not such a huge time and energy commitment, writing a short story is kind of like eating popcorn,” she says. “Writing a book, on the other hand, is a big deal, sort of like Thanksgiving dinner. You’d get tired of snacking or feasting if you did it all the time, so I alternate!”

Eight of Vicki’s eleven books are middle grade or young adult novels for Putnam. Her most recent are Rimwalkers, Crystal Garden, Reaching Dustin, The Starplace, and Destiny. Reaching Dustin and The Starplace were School Library Journal Best Books of 1998 and 1999.

Vicki writes every day in a tiny white office her dad built in her hayfield. He modeled it on her childhood playhouse, and it has its own birdhouse (where a tree frog named Joop is living). A purple clematis vine snakes up the side of the office, and beneath it grows a white peony bush Vicki transplanted from her grandmother’s farmhouse in Illinois, the setting for Rimwalkers.

Reviews

[Shaterion Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 12 year old girl in the book, "Destiny" by Vicki Grove, is the main charactor who stuggles to help keep her disfunctional family together.To help make ends meet, Destiny seeks employment with Mrs. Peck, a retired teacher whose eyesight is failing but whose prodigious memory and ethical standards are blessedly intact.Mrs. Peck introduces Destiny to the intellectually invigorating world of classical mythology and the concepts it embodies. But when she learns that Mrs. Peck may not be as perfect as she had imagined, Destiny slips up, then has to negotiate a moral crisis of her own making.In my opinion, the story is boring but has a true meaning which over rides its boringness. I figured it out, can you.... “To hope is to look yourself in the eye and realize that you’re capable of doing and being anything you really want to in this imperfect but fascinating world.” - Mr.Peck

[Shelby Bretschneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very god book it is about this girl named Destiny. She has one brother named Nathan, and two little sisters. Her mom is married to this really mean guy named Jack. One weekend Jack set a restaurant on fire and was sent to jail. And Destiny's mom went crazy. One night Destiny was reading a book that she got from Mrs Peck who she reads to every other day and her book mark fell out and her mom screamed because that was the lady who she thought crushed Nathans legs. But it was really Jack who crushed his legs. So Jack never came back home because he was put into prison. Then Destiny was happy again and she had a great life.

[Lillian Villarreal · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book!! My heart is cracked but full after reading this story. Don’t let the large font fool you, this book is not childish in content. It’s a tragic story in nature but it is real and provides the reader with a sense of hope. Wonderful writing :,)

[Melissa Hurtado]

A good book to read. The Book is call Destiny Vickiy Grove sixth grade Destiny is one juggling move of responbility that she should have with her crazy step farther.Her good mother and crippled bother and they have no money.
Destiny teens strugle was with siblings rivarily and tree pressure and mostly offtern harolship . Destiny childhood was idylic she grow up in illions prapire in one little room in the schoolhouse. Near a big house white house at was there grandparents. Destiny fouhght in he civil war went to the front to the nurse was her fallen son .
I feeling powerless at the first she plans to hide journal in the barn. so here new oweners might find it and learn how her family agonized over their decision.
This was a good book. you will learn some of this book. i would tell you all you guys should readit. It will make you thing how there people lives.

[Lenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

een nieuwe favoriet.. had nog veel langer moeten zijn.♡

[Tierite]

i want to read this book