Just Grace

Can you ever have too much grace? Evidently, because there are so many Graces in one class that they all must be called by other names. When she speaks up and tells the teacher that she wants to be called just "Grace," the young girl finds herself misunderstood and ends up "Just Grace" for the rest of the school year. Just Grace loves watching a TV show about real-life superheroes and decides that her special gift is empathy. Understanding that true empathy requires a response, Grace likes to help people feel better. When a weird teacher who lives next door breaks her leg and her beloved cat rejects her at the sight of the bright orange cast, Just Grace sets out to find a way to cheer the woman. Her efforts backfire, and another student is accused of a crime! This precious story is so well-written! The highest compliment I could give it is that is sounds like it was written by a child. Just Grace's first person voice is so authentic that you feel like you are given a glimpse into the flittering thoughts of a young girl. The audio CD is one of the best audio portrayals I've ever heard in children's literature. While the main character and cover art are definitively girly, a food-in-his-teeth boy character in the story who loves poop and belching provides enough "boy stuff" to be enjoyed by young male readers. I LOVE THIS BOOK!

I bought the book for my Grandaughter who is in the 4th grade. She loved it. I look forward to getting her the next "Just Grace" book.

I cannot do justice describing the charms of Just Grace. My 9 year old niece was reading it last summer and I picked it up to see what it was like. My children are 3 and 5 and adore Charise's books and I wanted to see what her "big kid" books had to offer. I was instantly charmed by Grace and had to finish the book. It is very funny and the story keeps you interested to very end. I love that a book geared toward 9-12 year old girls has a heroine whose super power is empathy. Grace is kind and feels for others, but is a realistic regular girl who knows to do the right thing, even if she would rather not sometimes. My 5 year old is a reader and she just read the book and cannot wait to move on to the others. It is such a nice change of pace for books in this demographic. My daughters love Junie B. Jones, but my husband gets exhausted correcting the grammar as he goes, as he cannot bear to read them as written. No such problems with the Just Grace series. These are lovely, funny, charming books that should be in every book lover's collection.

My 7-year-old read this book in two days; she couldn't put it down. When she was done, I figured I'd check it out. I also loved it. Great characters, great illustrations, and funny. Who needs Junie B. Jones when you can read about Grace?!

Just Grace is a fun and funny book about a girl named Grace. She gets her nickname because there are four girls in her class all named Grace. As the teacher was calling them "Grace (insert last initial here)", Grace asked if she could be called just Grace. So the teacher did. Grace's super power is empathy. When I read this, I just knew I'd love this story. Grace has also got talent. When she tries to take her mind off of something that's bothering her, she draws what she calls Not-So-Super comics. Although you always kind of know that Grace's intentions are good, she does end up making mistakes and getting in some scrapes. Grace ends up being an unlikely hero (just like the name of her favorite TV show 'Unlikely Heroes'). She devises a plan to cheer up her neighbor because her superpower, after all, is empathy. When none of it goes as expected, Grace works hard to set everything right. I enjoyed Just Grace immensely. The story was well told. The illustrations were wonderful and whimsical too. Great book!!