Saintly Aspirations

The Possibilities of Sainthood

by Donna Freitas

At my library, we have a display shelf of books that are part of the Lonestar Reading List. These books are nominated by readers and selected by a committee in the Texas Library Association. The titles are for readers in grades six through eight (possibly my favorite section at the moment). I like seeing what Texans are reading and recommending, and that shelf is exactly where I found Donna Freitas charming book, The Possibilities of Sainthood.

Summary

Antonia Lucia Labella is a unique 15-year-old. The daughter of “the most famous pasta maker in Rhode Island,” she has a somewhat unusual goal in life: to become the first living saint in the history of the Catholic church. Every month for eight years, Antonia has petitioned the Vatican with a proposal for a new saint when she finds something that is not represented. Her proposals run the gamut from innocently sincere (Patron Saint of my Daddy’s Heart) to somewhat silly and charming (Patron Saint of Pasta Makers). She always offers herself as the person for the position. In addition to her monthly petitions to the Vatican, Antonia is constantly immersing herself in knowledge of the saints. She keeps a saint diary where she writes petitions to individual saints; she reads about the lives of the saints; and she mentions them frequently in everyday conversation. While this could get annoying to read about, Freitas has infused Antonia with an endearing sort of innocence and sincerity that makes her obsession rather sweet.

Another focus of Antonia’s is her impeccably chaste state. She has yet to receive her first kiss, and many of her saint petitions revolve around changing this. Her requests are adorable and hilarious, and Antonia manages to walk the line between normal teenage desires and an honest devotion to her faith and her own standards.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Indeed. Antonia is such an endearing character that I couldn’t help but stay up to find out how things would work out for her. In addition to her struggles with boys and first kisses, she deals with some mother-daughter issues that will hit home with many young readers. A great read for young girls, particularly seventh to eighth grade and up.