Going On Nine: A Novel

by Catherine Underhill Fitzpatrick

In the summer of 1956, a girl goes in search of “Chronicles a time of great change in America . . . will keep you reading long past your bedtime.” —Kelly O’Connor McNees, author of The Island of Doves A child swipes her mother’s engagement ring, snatches her sister’s brand-new nightgown, and runs outside to play “bride.” She soon loses the ring, rips the gown, and, when she gets caught, decides it’s time to pack her suitcase and make a run for it. When the policeman brings her home that night, her parents’ reaction isn’t what she expected. In fact, they tell her to try living at some of her friends’ houses in their little St. Louis suburb, so she can find a better family… What happens next is a summer-long journey in which Grace Mitchell rides shotgun in a Plymouth Belvedere, hunkers in the back of a rattletrap vegetable truck, crawls into a crumbling tunnel, dresses up with a prom queen, and keeps vigil in the bedroom of a molestation victim. There are reasons why Grace remembers the summer of 1956 for the rest of her life. Those are just a few. Through the eyes of a child and the mature woman she becomes, we make the journey with Grace and discover important truths about life, equality, family, and the soul-searching quest for belonging.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 20, 2014

About the author

Catherine Underhill Fitzpatrick grew up in suburban St. Louis, the second of six children. After she graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism, her newspaper career included feature writing positions at metro dailies in Hannibal, St. Louis, and Milwaukee.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Catherine was in Manhattan to cover New York Fashion Week for Wisconsin’s largest newspaper. At first word of the terrorist attacks, she rushed to Ground Zero and filed award-winning eyewitness reports. A description of her reportage is included with accounts of other reporters and photographers in Running Toward Danger (2002, Rowman & Littlefield). A front page of the newspaper edition containing one of her 9/11 dispatches was among those memorialized in Washington D.C.’s Newseum. Her book-length account of her harrowing experiences that week has been accessioned into the State Historical Society of Missouri archives.

Catherine’s articles, stories, and essays have appeared in numerous newspapers, literary reviews, magazines, and anthologies. Her debut novel, A Matter of Happenstance, is a four-generation family saga that explores the power of personal character over coincidence. A follow-up novel, Going on Nine, is a coming-of-age story told by a young girl in 1956 and, alternately, by the mature woman she is today. Her third book is a family memoir, Voyage: A Memoir of Love, War, and Ever After. And her latest book-length work is the memoir Recorder of Deeds, Terrorism and Trauma: A Journalist's Life-Changing Choice on 911. All are available on www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com.

Catherine is a former board member of the TallGrass Writers Guild and an award-winning member of the Florida Writers Association and the Colorado Authors League. She and her husband, Dennis, live in Denver, CO. They have two daughters, two sons-in-law, and three grandchildren..

Reviews

[Rebecca Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may be a little predjudiced because I am friends with the author, but I really liked it. What a delightful romp through the 50's especially if you (as I am) were a child at that time. I grew up in MA and the main character, Gracie is from St Louis, but the atmosphere rang true. I really the way Catherine captured the mindset of a little girl of 8 going on 9 as she made her way through the neighborhood staying 1 night at each house over 1 summer. It's a charming and original premise.

[Rosemary Dreyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a charming book. It’s written as if the author is penning a memoir about growing up in a particular neighborhood in St. Louis. The child runs away from home and when found, the parents encourage her to spend nights at the various homes in the neighborhood to decide if maybe she is in the right home after all. The stories of her visits are hilarious, heartbreaking, and insightful. The perspective shifts from child self to adult self. It’s quite a lovely novel.

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

well done book. exeptional at making a person 8 years old again

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author writes lovingly of a time past; the year is 1956 and the place a cul de sac in middle class suburban St. Louis and the protagonist, Grace, is an 8 year old girl, going on nine. For those of a certain age and raised in a suburb, I'm sure this novel would be very relatable - not so sure if that would be the case for other readers as this is a very personal reminiscence. Grace finds fault with her parents' rules and her mother offers Grace the opportunity to spend a weekend with each of the neighbors who agrees. And that is how the story develops, with Grace spending a weekend staying with a different neighbor each weekend. I initially was excited as I started reading but at a certain point, perhaps mid-way, the novel became a tedious read for me. Towards the end I just couldn't wait to be finished.

[Debbie Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is delightful book! If you are a child of the 50s or the 60s, it will bring back memories - told through the eyes of an 8 year old girl. Reading this book brought back so many memories of those long hot summers of sleepovers and summer nights and where everyone knew everyone and where watching a new family move in could occupy you for hours. Times seemed simpler then, but were they?

[Tink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going on Nine

Loved the story line and plot. Interesting characters and relationships. There were a couple of places within the story where I felt like the author was confused about what they had already told us, but I enjoyed the story.

[Amy Kasten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going on nine would resonate with anyone who grew up in the 50’s, 60’s or 70’s. The nostalgia is sweet and poignant. I laughed out loud at some parts and wiped tears in others. A fantastic read.

[Jeani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Lot of familiar characters and tales of my old neighborhood .

[Kathleen McElligott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going on Nine by Catherine Underhill FitzpatrickCatherine Underhill FitzpatrickGoing on Nine
Review by Kathleen McElligott

It was the summer of Grace’s quest for family; one different, but not necessarily better than her own. Catherine Fitzpatrick delivers a spot-on description of Grace Townsend and her life on Thistle Way in the mid-fifties. For baby-boomers it will elicit a wave of nostalgia; the polio scare, Crayola Crayons with 48 colors, the vegetable man, and the Easy Bake Oven.
We meet the characters that people Grace’s life in suburban St. Louis; risk-taking Davey Lofton, Melinda the mean girl, sad Missy, secret-sharing Ranier Niesen, creative Patsy, and the Daileys, the all-American family. My favorite is Cherry, Grace’s unlikely bunk-mate at summer camp.
Grace’s journey leads to the inevitable truth that things are not always as they seem. You may find yourself yearning for a simpler time when children played outside with abandon and terrorism wasn’t part of our vocabulary. You’ll want to click your heels; “There’s no place like home…” Congratulations to Catherine Fitzpatrick on a precise portrayal of Grace and a tightly written remembrance.

Kathleen McElligott’s novel, Mommy Machine, was recognized by The National Best Books 2009 Awards as a finalist in the Chick-Lit/Women’s Lit Fiction category. A sequel to Mommy Machine is forthcoming. It follows Elaine McElroy’s hilarious and heartbreaking journey of self-discovery that leads her from Chicago to Santa Fe and Ireland. McElligott is a regular contributor to the acclaimed “Black and White” anthologies by Outrider Press. She has written features for The Star Newspaper and numerous publications.

[Karla Merrifield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, here I am again, learning a lesson from fiction! I had no idea when I first picked up GOING ON NINE by the marvelous writer Catherine Underhill Fitzpatrick that her main character Grace would teach me so much. I guess when publisher Familius hypes the book saying, “Discover important truths about life, equality, family, and the soul-searching quest for belonging in GOING ON NINE,” they’re telling the bare-faced truth! This week I’ve been thinking about Grace the Younger (we also meet Grace as a woman of a certain age – like me!) who’s telling the story of her last summer in her childhood neighborhood. Life is about to change drastically for Grace – her family’s going to be moving away. That’s a world-shaking, life-changing transition for a kid…and, so I’ve discovered, it is for adults as well. You see, if you’ve been following my recent posts, you know my husband are uprooting ourselves from our home of 26 years and moving from county to town. It’s a daunting change-of-life, yet I find myself comforted by, of all things, a character in a novel! Grace has such pluck, such aplomb. I hold her in my imagination and she instills some of that courage and strength in me, too! The for-sale sign goes up and there’s Grace showing me how to be honestly plucky about it. The doors to our beloved home swing wide to admit prospective buyers at the open-house event and I summon Grace to lend me a portion of her aplomb. Who knows what she’ll teach you!

GOING ON NINE is available MAY 20 at booksellers everywhere! (See ! http://bit.ly/1msdPAT # summer #books?) Don’t miss this super-duper – enlightening – summer read!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

By reading Going on Nine by Catherine Fitzpatrick I was transported back to the summers of my own childhood. While this book is based in the 1950's, and my childhood wasn't until 30 years later, so many good memories came flooding back as I read this book.

"From the morning of my eighth birthday, I regarded myself as going on nine. By then, I had long since melded into the loose confederation of children who were essentially feral from apricot dawn to lavender dusk. Our world was Thistle Way, a neighborhood of twenty-eight modest houses that faced one another in a circle."

And so begins the story of a young girl, "going on nine". While it only spans one summer it is filled with adventure, laughter, sadness...life growing up in the 50's. I loved how each chapter was focused on different families/children in the neighborhood. And yet it flowed so seamlessly.

This is the summer read. It's not chick-lit, but is easy reading. The lovely descriptions make you feel like a child of summertime again. While it is fiction, you learn a lot of history about the 1950's in a very interesting way. I look forward to any future books by Catherine Fitzpatrick!

[Mary Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Jo Goodwin

For those of us who grew up in the 50's and 60's, reading Going On Nine will be a delightful nostalgic journey. Who of us doesn't remember counting our half years as milestones? Grace Mitchell is a plucky, precocious eight year old going on nine, whose curiosity, wit and excellent memory of growing up in a loving family in St. Louis, will trigger many memories of your own childhood. Grace had the priceless opportunity to grow up in simpler times which gave her many opportunities to play, get into mischief and learn about life and friendship on her own terms. While this is a memoir of times long gone, it has many timeless value lessons which are well worth revisiting in these fast paced times.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading her first book, A Matter of Happenstance (5 stars), I was eager to ready Catherine Fitzpatrick Underhill's sophomore effort. I'm thrilled to say that the wait was worth it and I poured through the book quickly because it was difficult to put down! The child's voice effectively conveys the thrill, innocence and joy of summer vacation, while the adult voice thoughtfully reflects on the lessons learned in retrospect. These stories brought opened a floodgate of memories back to my childhood, some of which I may have forgotten forever had they been triggered by this novel, and for that I am eternally grateful.

[Colleen Mccarrier · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Going on Nine" is Going on GREAT!
Pick up "Going on Nine" and prepare to be captivated by Grace, to become immersed in the events of her unusual summer and to fall in love with Catherine Underhill Fitzpatrick's writing!  This is a story that stands apart and above from the pack, so finely crafted that you won't have to IMAGINE where Grace was and what she was up to, you FEEL it right along with her!  If I was a kid on Thistle Way, I'd want to have Grace for my best friend!  Prepare to not be able to put this book down.  It's delightful, serious, refreshingly unique….nothing lightweight about this storytelling.  I loved it from first to last!

Colleen, Milwaukee, WI  

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up around this time ~ 60's & 70's & enjoyed reminiscing about how the 'simpler' life used to be. Great lesson about how the grass is never greener on the other side & although we all think we would trade our lives with someone else's & our families for someone else's, the truth is we are all right where we are meant to be & we are living our lives with the people we are meant to be with ~ the good, the bad & the ugly. The sooner we realize that, the greater the blessing of all God's gifts & graces to us will be! There is NO place like home.

[Pattie Welek Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this book down. I highly recommend it for all you Baby Boomers. It's a walk down memory lane that captures the freedom of being a child while living in a neighborhood filled with kids, always ready to push the limits, and the inside scoop of the family's that raised them, told through the eyes of Grace, eight going on nine. Grace's summer experiences, living two nights with each of the neighbors, is sure to pull at your heartstrings. You will laugh. You will cry.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Set in the summer of '56 this coming of age novel harkens back to other favorites such as To Kill a Mockingbird and the Cape Ann. The story's narrator is an irresistible, tough character. As an adult she reflects on the summer she spent learning about her small neighborhood and the lives her neighbors lead behind their closed doors. Part heartbreaking, part funny, easily relatable, this gem truly illustrates just how messy and full life can be.

[Shannon Aulick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The main character , Grace leads you back into a time when a simpler life was a good life. She learns so many life lessons during her summer before she turned nine. This book had me laughing and crying and hooked from the very beginning!

[Kathleen Varn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a trip down memory lane... and from the perspective of a little girl in the sociology of the 1950s. LOVED living on Thistle Way with Grace and her neighborhood dynamics.

[Cathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enough nuggets to keep me reading, but overall disingenuous.

[Julie Gaebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun trip down memory lane for boomers made more fun for those of us in St. Louis because of all of the local references.

[Ruthmarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice walk down memory lane into the 1950s.

[Jen]

Really enjoyed it. On the vein as To Kill a Mockingbird, but lighter and funnier

[Kathy Danaher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grown Up version of the Ramona series

[Mike Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story of a nine year-old girl's idyllic life growing up in the suburbs of St. Louis.