Starred Review ALA Booklist (Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 1997)

Starred Review Miracle got her name when she was pulled from the womb of her dead mother, and Miracle's grandmother, a psychic, never lets the girl forget her birthright. Surrounded by mystical goings-on, Miracle is not completely surprised when her reclusive father melts, leaving his clothes in a position that indicates he dissolved right out of them. But she does want him back, and so begins a series of obsessive behaviors that Miracle thinks might lure him to her, including a compulsion to dance. Then, one night, Miracle dances among lit candles and sets herself ablaze. She has made her descent into madness, and it is now up to Dr. DeAngelis, a psychiatrist at the hospital Miracle has been brought to, to see if he can help her leave her fantasy world and come back home. As she did in Send Down a Miracle (1996), Nolan offers a set of elaborately drawn characters that will surprise readers at every turn. Miracle; her pushy-pully grandmother and solid, stubborn grandfather; and her guilt-stricken aunt are not characters that young people will have seen before. If Nolan occasionally overwrites her plot, it is nonetheless compelling, and its mix of mysticism and madness, tempered by Miracle's failed attempts at an everyday life, will spark recognition in readers who have, if not the same circumstances in their lives, many of the same impulses. (Reviewed October 1, 1997)

Horn Book

Miracle has never agreed with her grandmother's assessment that she's special. In fact, after the mysterious disappearance of her father, Miracle grows more and more uncertain that she even exists. Nolan's portrayal of Miracle's increasing psychological torment, along with her struggle to discover and accept her family's secrets, makes for a compelling novel with well-realized characterizations.

Kirkus Reviews

Charting the near-destruction of a child's soul at the hands of the self-centered, bickering adults around her, Nolan (Send Me Down a Miracle, 1996, etc.) dives into the mind of an emotionally disturbed girl in an intense, exceptionally well-written novel. Miracle McCloy grows from a lonely ten-year-oldraised by her well-meaning, clairvoyant, but steeped-in-denial grandmotherto a silent and troubled teen. Her mother's death and father's abandonment make Miracle feel that she doesn't exist, so she floats through life as a nonentity, a bystander. At 14, she has a breakdown and severely burns herself. Institutionalized, with the help of a kindly doctor and heroic Aunt Casey, Miracle is forced to confront her family's secrets and uncover the truth about herself. While the characters initially seem like stereotypical Southern eccentrics, Nolan skillfully discloses their true natures, allowing them to blossom on the page. The book ends on a note of hope, as Miracle takes steps toward contentment and begins to participate fully in her own life. The shadows of truth, suffering, self-expression, and repression are examined without psychobabble in this sad, funny, and tender story. (Fiction. 12+)"

School Library Journal (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Gr 6 Up--Miracle, so named because she was delivered after her mother was killed in an accident, is 10 at the start of this extraordinary novel. She lives with her father, a prodigy who produced his first novel at 13, and her grandmother, Gigi, who is a spiritualist. When her father disappears, Miracle and her grandmother live first with her grandfather; when he suffers a heart attack, she lives with her detached aunt and uncle. Readers become increasingly distressed for her as they witness her bizarre, doomed attempts to gain acceptance at school and the way she embraces her grandmother's beliefs. She spirals toward a breakdown and a possible suicide attempt. Then the real wonder of the book unfolds, for Part II is about Miracle's therapy and recovery. Slowly she uncovers the dark secrets of her family--that her mother was committing suicide when she stepped in front of a speeding ambulance; that her father has abandoned her; that her mother was a ballerina and that is why Gigi has tried to keep her from dancing. The therapeutic process is painful, but Miracle is shepherded through by a compassionate psychiatrist and strengthened by her aunt's newly awakened concern. The life in a psychiatric care facility for adolescents is particularly well depicted. Nolan does a masterful job of drawing readers into the girl's mind and of making them care deeply about her chances for the future.--Miriam Lang Budin, Mt. Kisco Public Library, NY