What if one day all the possible coincidences of a lifetime could occur and a circle of love be formed? That is basically what ONE WHOLE AND PERFECT DAY by Judith Clark is about. It is a 2008 Printz Honor book.
Set in Australia, Lily is frustrated with her dysfunctional family. Her grandfather, Pop, caused her brother to leave home when he went after him with an ax. Her grandmother, May, has an imaginary friend. Her mother, Dr. Samson, brings home some of her elderly day care patients, "lame ducks" as Lily calls them, to their dilapidated home which both are an embarrassment to Lily. Lily is the sensible, trustworthy one of the family that feels she is old before her time since she always smells like cleaning products or cooking food. But Lily gets frustrated and decides she needs to find a boyfriend. Through an assortment of amazing coincidences, Lily finds her "boyfriend" actually likes her, her mother realizes the house is falling apart, her brother gets his life together and gets engaged, Pop's relationship with Lily's brother heals as well as her grandfather's prejudice. These are just a few of the things that occur in this book. The one whole perfect day Lily's grandmother prays and wishes for comes true beyond anyone's dreams, particularly when May's imaginary friend shows up as her lost friend from childhood.
I LOVED this book!! It was so heartwarming to see how the lives intertwined. It was great to see people realize their mistakes while they still had time to mend them. This is a great book for secondary or older students to read. I liked this book better than the Printz winner!
