“Kate’s Ring is a marvellous story, a modern day Anne of Green Gables, gritty, sometimes desperate, tender, and in the end triumphant. It tears at your heart.”

“Uncompromising and filled with compassion, Donna Grassby’s “Kate’s Ring” reminds us that the best of YA fiction is profoundly human. Hers is a strong new voice in Canadian literature, and one to be celebrated.”

“Kate’s Ring is an inspiring and sensitively written story of the triumph of youth in the face of trauma and loss. The author beautifully weaves the landscape and traditions of Nova Scotia into a tale of a family struggling to face suffering and find hope and meaning in their lives. Despite the losses she has to face, the young heroine finds her way through, redeemed by love.”

“Kate’s Ring, a captivating, heart warming and heartbreaking coming of age story. Reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables but much tougher. Kate (13) navigates the contrary expectations of adults as she struggles to keep her family together. Believable, complex characters bring to life industrial and rural Cape Breton in the 1920s. An outstanding work.”

“While Kate’s Ring may have been written for high school students, this adult found the novel interesting, informative, compelling, often very moving and ultimately satisfying.

As a priest and educator, I see enormous potential for the use of Kate’s Ring as a teaching tool not just in literature, but in courses assisting young students to understand and navigate the tensions and trials of human relationships.

Kate’s eventual understanding that people’s very different reactions to similar issues, despite the alienation that their differences cause, actually help each group to deal with their struggles. Further, her realization that neither group should be disparaged is a powerful source for reflection and discussion.

Likewise, Kate’s ability to recognize the difference between the compassionate Sisters and the rigid, uncompromising Nun can challenge the reader to let go of stereotypes. Even the improvident alcoholic Father is not all bad.

By the end of the book, one has the clear sense that God, who often seems not to be listening has heard and answered all of Kate’s prayers… what a conversation that could lead to…”

“Thirteen-year-old Kate might wish for a ring just as her best friend has–Grace has an heirloom opal ring from her grandmother–but Kate’s Ring is bigger than a child’s dream to possess something special. That’s because Kate’s ring is not one of gold or silver but rather one of people and place.

Donna Grassby embeds (this) story of loss and hardship in families of different shapes. It’s family created, sustained and reconfigured that makes Kate’s Ring real for the time and for now. How (Kate’s) family will survive and in what configuration is only resolved through Donna Grassby’s poignant storytelling, both heartbreaking and hopeful.”