A Greyhound of a Girl

By Roddy Doyle

Marion Lloyd Books
2012
168 pages
Reading Level:  4-6
Modern Fantasy

A Greyhound of a Girl is about coming to terms with death, dying, and leaving behind the ones we love.  Mary is a twelve year old girl living in Ireland whose granny is dying.  Mary and her mother drive to the hospital to see granny everyday after Mary comes home from school. One day, on Mary's walk home from the bus stop, she encounters a young woman dressed in old-fashioned clothes, who is not touched by the rain and appears to shimmer at times.  The woman knows Mary's name, which scares her, as Mary cannot remember ever meeting the young woman before.  She seems to know all about Mary and her family and asks Mary to deliver a message to her granny.  Mary eventually tells her mother about the strange woman, and then her mother meets the woman.  Mary embarks on a journey with her mother, grandmother, and the young woman and learns more about her family.   

My rating on this book is excellent, and it has become one of my favorite reads.  The story is intriguing and humorous, yet it is filled with heart-touching moments as the characters deal with the death loved ones.  In teaching, this book could be used to talk about fear, death, and the grieving process.  Since the story takes place in another country, it can also be used to introduce students to another culture.