What do readers think of The Land of Decoration by Grace McCleen? Write your own review.

The novel is about a 10-yer old girl named Judith McPherson. She is exceptionally faithful in her religious belief. Her two primary relationships are with God and her father. But this exceptional faith isolates her from the majority of kids her age and adults who are not believers. She builds The Land of Decoration her bedroom out of discarded materials. She often imagines herself in the made-up town.

It is easy to forget how scary and sad life can be for a 10-year old, after you become an adult. The meaning of a life experience is not the same for both a 10-year old and an adult. My heart went out to this delusional girl who exhibited utter confusion in her understanding of reality and in her interactions with people

I tried to read the book twice. The first time I found no endearing qualities to continue further on into the story but then Judith got to me and I started back at the beginning so as not to miss anything. That little person really hooked me in.

A beautiful story of imagination, faith and the end of times. Judith has grown up in a world of unwavering faith, and the belief that the end is near. While other children play, Judith, her father and their small church, roam the streets of their town knocking on doors to proselytize their neighbors. Rather than play with friends, she creates a model of The Promise Land in her room made from garbage she finds. And one day, her unwavering faith pays off, and Judith becomes the Hand of God. But as we have always learned, be careful what you wish for, it just might come true. This is a story about loss, love, faith and family. The Land of Decoration is a beautifully moving story that you won’t be able to put down.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A story of unwavering faith and a protective imagination that threatens to upend a father- daughter relationship,McCleen is able, through her crisp writing to let us see how a 10 yr. old understands the world. Judith is a completely believable character, as is her father. The bullying aspects of the story seem all too real as well. I would recommend this book to advanced juvenile, young adult and adult readers and would suggest it as a good title for book clubs.

This book is written from the perspective of a ten year old. I found that interesting. The fact that she lives with her father, has problems with a bully at school yet holds onto her belief that she can change her life makes this a good story for older teen and young adult readers.
I enjoyed the descriptions of the colorful characters as told by this young girl.
This book makes the reader realize how serious young children are about life and the role they play in what happens to the people they love.

A very compelling story of a young girl and her tenacity to keep her faith while hanging on to love...especially for her father. She has a difficult life and her faith is constantly put to the test. It grabbed me very early on and I very much liked the short chapters. I don't consider myself a fast reader but finished this in a weekend. I would highly recommend this for anyone but in particular middle school teachers due to the reference of bullying and how it was handled here. Great debut novel....I shall look forward to the next one.