All Fall Down

November 17, 2014
Nobody believes that Grace saw a scarred man shoot her mother three years ago, insisting that she died in an accidental fire. Now, after being hospitalized and treated like she is “crazy,” 16-year-old Grace is getting a fresh start with her grandfather, the American ambassador to a fictional European country called Adria. But when the troubled and impulsive teen sees the scarred man in Adria and overhears him threatening another murder, she and her Embassy Row friends—Rosie, a former gymnast; Megan, a genius and hacker; and loyal Noah—try to stop him from striking again. This first book in the Embassy Row series from Gallagher Girls author Carter has plenty of promise, including clever characters, an underground tunnel system, and Grace’s hard-boiled narration (“whatever chance I had for normal disappeared three years ago”). The characters and setting are somewhat underdeveloped, and plotting can be farfetched, including Grace’s admission that she never wondered why someone would kill her mother. Even so, Carter knows how to construct a gripping thriller, and she leaves enough unanswered questions to keep readers eager for the next book. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency.

An international mystery well delivered by narrator Eileen Stevens, this debut is an exciting start to a new series. Grace is back in Adria, the city where her mother grew up and where Grace's grandfather is the U.S. ambassador. Grace spent every summer on Embassy Row until her mother's death. Everyone says it was an accident, but Grace knows she saw a man murder her mother, and that man is now in Adria, and Grace knows he's going to kill again. With a range of characters of varying origins, Stevens is given a tall order and excels at creating an accent and personality for each one. She brings sensitivity to Grace's fragile state and keeps the listener guessing as to what to believe. A twisty listen sure to engage teen listeners. S.B.T. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

June 1, 2015

Gr 8 Up-Carter fans will not want to miss this series launch. Sixteen-year-old Grace Blakely is sent to live with her grandfather, a diplomat stationed in Adria. She is determined to solve the mystery of her mother's death three years prior. Despite what the evidence and witnesses prove, Grace is sure of one fact: her mother's killer is out there, and she is going to prove it. The story introduces many characters who do not hesitate to assist Grace with her covert plan, but many of these relationships are not fully developed, thus promising more to come. A subtle hint of romance between Grace and one of the male characters will encourage readers to anticipate the next book in the series. Eileen Stevens does an excellent job of portraying the stuffy character of Grace's grandfather, the ambassador, as well as the various prime ministers and their family members. Her characterization of Grace is well presented; at times, Grace appears brave and fearless-but not always VERDICT This mystery keep listeners intrigued and interested in Grace's future visits to Embassy Row.-Sheila Acosta, San Antonio Public Library

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

memoiloveit - All Fall Down, a mystery and fiction book by Ally Carter, is the first book in the Embassy Row Series. The protagonist, Grace Blakely, travels to live in Embassy Row after living in America and just visiting Embassy Row every summer, a city with embassies for every country. She meets a woman named Ms. Chancellor, one of the people who work with her grandfather at the American embassy, who is not who she seems to be. When there, Grace tries to figure out who killed her mother when she was 13 years old and is determined to get revenge on the killer, with the help of her new friends. Everyone, excluding Grace’s friends, just want her to stay out of trouble and they try to stop her from attempting to figure out who killed her mother by telling her it was a freak accident. In the end, everyone thinks she is crazy although she keeps saying she is not. When Grace thinks she finds her mother’s murderer, the “scarred man”, she and her friends spy on him, until they become doubtful of Grace and think she is crazy. Grace suffers many flashbacks of the memory when her mother was killed and the things they used to do before she was killed, but she does not remember who actually killed her mother. When Grace is with the person who ordered the “scarred man” to kill her mother, Ms. Chancellor shoots him before he can hurt Grace. After that, she explains to Grace that the person who actually killed her mother was her own daughter, Grace, although Dominic, who Grace calls the “scarred man” was ordered to kill her mother but Grace accidentally did instead. The person who wanted Grace’s mother dead also wants her dead, but Dominic and Ms. Chancellor work together to keep Grace safe. A quote from All Fall Down that connects to its overall message is, “‘I’m the reason she’s dead.’” “‘It was an accident.’” (Carter 304) This quote connects to the book’s overall message because the overall message is that things are best kept secret for a reason. Nobody told Grace that she killed her mother until the end because they do not want her craziness and mental traumas to get worse than they already were. It is best when Grace does not know that she killed her mother because everybody thinks that they can convince Grace that it was an accident and there is no “scarred man”, but Grace keeps trying to prove that she is right about the “scarred man” murdering her mother. Grace has to be taken to the hospital, then many doctors, after learning that she killed her mother. I can connect this book to my life because it shows acceptance and trust through the people who try to help Grace. She has to trust her grandfather, brother, Ms. Chancellor, and friends, that it was an accident, but since she does not believe them, she has to find out the truth. In the end, she also has to accept what she did in the past because you can not undo something like that. If Grace just accepts what everybody told her in the beginning, she would not have caused trouble for other countries in Embassy Row. One wrong move in All Fall Down that Grace makes could have started a war with other countries. From this book, I learned to trust things that the people I trust tell me, even if I do not want to because it can be for my own good. I also learned that I should just accept things sooner than later because the thoughts will just build up until it can not be taken anymore, like Grace, and then you’ll be in real danger. The people that tell you the things you have to accept could be telling it to you with the best intentions, not the worst, like how Grace thought Dominic was going to kill her. The final thing I learned is that sometimes people that you trust lie to you for the right reasons. When...