Many a year has passed since I was a 14 year old year girl so being taken back into the mind of one was a novel experience. And LK Gardner-Griffie does a remarkable job of portraying a teen’s thoughts and emotions through Katie’s narration. I could so relate to Katie McCabe, and so will teens who read Misfit McCabe, and any adult who (honestly) recalls their teen years. You must remember when you thought your hometown was boring and didn’t want to be stuck there your whole life. When you needed so passionately to be seen as an individual and not an extension of your family. When running away when you’d messed up seemed the best option, even though you knew that would result in a worse punishment than if you’d stayed put.
Have you ever looked at your own teen and wondered, why are you so contrary? Just what is in that head of yours?
I couldn’t help but like Katie McCabe even though she is about as contrary as a teen can be. The teen years are terribly complex, while they try to cope with emotional and physical changes and conflicting feelings. I think teens who read Misfit McCabe will identify with her.
I won’t go into the plot as other reviewers have already outlined it. I will say that in Misfit McCabe, Katie’s world is turned upside down and she must learn to live with a terrible loss, learn to accept the solace and friendship she is offered, and is plunged into many difficult and, at times, dangerous situations. Through it all, Katie grows as a person.
Misfit McCabe is beautifully written and Katie is an engaging central character. LK Gardner-Griffie truly understands young teens and takes you into their world, with all their insecurities and uncertainties.
I’m sure that more adventures await Katie, more “growing pains” and more lessons from life, in the coming sequel to Misfit McCabe. I can’t wait to read it.

One of my projects has been to create hard bound copies of Misfit McCabe and send them out into the world to be passed from one reader to the next. The below are the comments from the readers in Bayfield and Durango Colorado where it visited a classroom:

It’s not so warm and sunny here in Bayfield and Durango where our school is, but we adore Misfit McCabe and can’t wait for the sequel! We read the book as a class and learned so much about story themes, plot and character development, and all those other wonderful things that go into a great story. The book will be moving on next week, although we’re still deciding who the lucky recipient will be. Have a great time reading this story!
-Pam Savage

Lucky you if it’s warm there!! We got snow on Thanksgiving Day, and it’s been cold ever since. Our book is headed for Canada soon. The next thing I’m waiting for is the sequel and all of my friends agree! I have a feeling that Katie McCabe is going to have more fun and be in more trouble this time!!!!!! I love this book!!
-Keely S.

It is a great book, full of suspence and action. I was very mad at Miss Pam for not letting me read the whole thing all at once!
-Madeleine L.

Whoever has this book next is very lucky because it is awesome! It is about a girl whose name is Katie McCabe. Her father forces her to live with her Uncle Charley. While she’s there, she gets herself into huge situations. She meets a very mean boy who gets her into trouble. Read this book and find out how she lives through this experience!

This is probably one of the best books I’ve read in my life!

P.S. It is sometimes snowy, foggy, and sunny in Durango.
-Emily V.

All of the comments re: the weather are because I posted how warm and sunny it was when sending the book to CO from CA.

All of these comments can be found on the traveling book website: Where in the World is Misfit McCabe?

A story brimming with all the right ingredients for that 'awkward' age: growing up, relationships, finding a place in the world...

Packed with action from the start, this well written tale will have readers wanting to turn the pages.

I particularly liked the underlying humour, although mixed with a seriousness that borders the disturbing events, it shines enough to give us a glimpse of the true identity of the heroine...one to like and champion.

Certainly one for those 'in-between'.

Julie Elizabeth Powell, author of Gone, The Star Realm, Knowing Jack and Slings & Arrows

Review posted on Amazon.com, September 20,2008 by Denny Griffie

First things first, in case you are wondering whether I have any relation to the author, I am married to her. She gets the Griffie part of her name from me. I want to also thank Mr. Yarbrough for posting his review of Misfit McCabe because I felt like I couldn't post a review until someone else had. If I posted one first, it would simply have been discounted because "I'm the husband and HAVE to say nice things."

Actually, that's not true. When it comes to writing, LK Gardner-Griffie would rather have an honest assessment than fluff comments like, "I really liked it." Since I'm not much of a reader, I had to ask to read the book while she was working on the final stages of getting it ready for distribution. I'll admit, I asked out of curiosity because I wanted to see what she was spending so much time working on. Well, let me tell you, I read the first chapter that night and had to finish the book the next day. I couldn't put it down.

Misfit McCabe is the story of 14 year old, Katie McCabe and how she handles the circumstances that life has dealt her, as well as the consequences of the choices she has made. When she ends up being sent to live with her uncle and some cousins, Katie struggles with anger about the situation, but doesn't really have too much time to focus on that because she makes an enemy her first day in town. Through a series of one-ups-manship retaliation, the battle between Katie and Harvey Jr. escalates to a dangerous degree and ultimately puts Katie in peril.

Why I think this is a good book? You are drawn into the story from page one, and the action continues throughout the book. It is easy to visualize what is happening and you can connect with the characters no matter what age you are. Katie is dealing with real-life situations that any teenager could be facing and deals with them in a realistic fashion.

When I finished the book, my first thought was what a wonderful Hallmark movie this would make, or when I was younger, an After-School Special (I don't know whether they still make those or not.) That's how clearly the words come to life.

This is a great coming of age story, which is a must read for everyone.

Flamingnet Student Book Reviewer APB

When trouble maker Katie McCabe gets caught committing arson, her beloved father, the local sheriff, whisks her off to her Uncle Charlie's. Sarah, Katie's cousin, intends to set her straight. On Katie's second day at the farm, she meets Harvey Junior, her soon-to-be archenemy. Despite Katie's efforts to get along, she ends up hitting Harvey! Later on, she starts to make friends like Tom Pike and his buddies. Tom is the number one football player at school. Katie doesn't realize that life at Uncle Charlie's isn't going to be simple. Her new life contains rattlesnakes, nasty revenge, more archenemies, tears, and mud - lots and lots of mud!

I loved Misfit McCabe! The descriptions were amazing. I was glued to Misfit McCabe like a fly stuck to fly tape. I completely underestimated this book because I figured it would be boring. It turned out to be a very, very exciting book. Don't underestimate the book's cover. Misfit McCabe is a difficult book to read, so I don't think it should be for 9-12 year olds, it should be labeled for young adults. This is a great book. Gardner-Griffie has outdone herself. There are a few situations with underage drinking and smoking: also some frightening situations, and language.

Reviewer Age: 11 Reviewer City, State and Country: Osseo, Wisconsin United States

LK Gardner-Griffie is a clever author who has truly embraced the “tween” readers of today with a rambunctious young lady they will certainly relate to. Katie McCabe, the main character, is a rebellious fourteen year old tom girl looking for trouble. And most of the time, she gets exactly what she’s looking for!

Timmy Lawrence (I can just hear that name being yelled out the back door by an angry mother!) is Katie’s best friend and partner in crime! Right from page one, the author shows you these two are up to no good. They are in a neighbor’s shed with a flask of rum to spike their Cokes…and they toast to their adventures in smoking as they light up cigarettes! Like any child, they become entranced by the flame when they start playing with the matches and end up catching the hay in the shed on fire.

Playing with fire, drinking stolen booz, trying cigarettes for the first time…the friendship between Timmy and Katie definitely brought back memories. I can recall the next door neighbor’s grand daughter who only visited during the summer. I was always anxious for her arrival, and even more anxious for her departure by the end of the season. She was pure evil!

When she wasn’t persuading me to steal eggs or kitchen matches to make magic potions, she was pulling me around the yard in a cardboard box and busting my head on the rocks when the box split open. I seem to recall a collection of Garbage Pail Kid trading cards that also went missing from my room one year shortly after she visited!

More importantly, Katie does not lie about her involvement in the shed burning when her father questions her. Very smart! After all, her father is the town sheriff. He sends Katie to live with his brother, her Uncle Charley who also happens to be very strict. With a house full of cousins, the trouble has just begun. But when Katie starts up a friendship with her older cousin, Sarah, who helps Katie through those “changes of life,” Katie really begins to mature and change. But this certainly doesn’t happen in a day.

In the meantime there are new friends to make and new enemies. A battle of wits pursues between Katie and and a nasty little snot named Harvey Denton Jr. He’s the local banker’s son and enjoys letting everyone know it. He also enjoys seeking revenge against Katie. Cheating, lying, stealing…the list goes on and on of obstacles Katie must continue to face, even though she is trying her best to be the better person.

LK GG moves her story along with well versed dialogue and has penned an array of characters who are each interesting and unique in their own way. Her descriptions of the predicaments Katie faces practically on every page are complex (and often seem unfair) to a 14 year old, but provide enough excitement and detail to keep a reader of any age interested.

Despite Katie being a few years younger than my own niece, I plan to purchase a copy of this book for her as she turns 17 this year. There are situations and outcomes here that any teen could (and will) face, and Misfit McCabe is a character who high school readers will relate to and learn from. This book would make an excellent gift for those just about to enter high school and begin that often troublesome phase of life.

Kudos to LK for embracing this age group. Katie McCabe is a character who I hope to visit with again soon!



Read the full review at www.lulubookreview.wordpress.com.