God is in the Pancakes

(Dial) The protagonist of this young adult novel, 15-year-old Grace Manning, works as a candy striper in a nursing home. She enjoys spending time with Mr. Sands, a patient who keeps up with her sarcasm and teaches her to play poker, until one day he cheerfully asks her to help him die.   Although at first Grace refuses, she becomes less sure of herself as Mr. Sands’ disease progresses. To avoid the wrenching decision, she prays for a miracle, stuffs herself with pancakes, and runs away from her feelings.   But as Mr. Sands’ condition grows worse, she knows that she will have to face him and the request that he has made of her. Epstein, who began her career as a comic and sitcom writer, currently teaches writing at NYU.   With sister Amy Epstein Feldman, she authored So Sue Me Jackass!: Avoiding Legal Pitfalls That Can Come Back to Bite You at Work, at Home, and at Play.   She is also the co-author (with Renée Kaplan ’95) of the novel Shaking Her Assets .