Just Grace

The third-grader Grace Stewart gets stuck with the name “Just Grace” when she tries to distinguish herself from the three other Graces in her class. Grace is plenty different, though. She has a “teeny-tiny superpower,” for instance—she can tell if someone is unhappy and often tries to fix it. When she concocts an elaborate scheme to help her neighbor Mrs. Luther feel less lonely, however, her good intentions backfire rather dramatically. Headlines such as “What Happened At Home That Was Completely Surprising” and “Spying For A Good Reason Is Not Bad” keep things lively, as do various lists (“Boy Things,” “Rooms You Can Jump In”), comic strips, and the author’s cartoonish spot art. A funny glimpse into a third-grader’s madcap world of dashed hopes, perceived enemies, possible friends, cats, and sandwiches.

Don’t miss the Just Grace website www.justgracebooks.com with its superpower quiz, podcasts, excerpts, and downloads . . . or the other books in the Just Grace series: Still Just Grace, Just Grace Goes Green, Just Grace Walks the Dog, Just Grace and the Snack Attack, Just Grace and the Terrible Tutu, and Just Grace and the Double Surprise!

Charise Mericle Harper is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including the “Just” Grace series. In a starred review, Booklist called Just Grace “hilarious” and said, “The kids come alive in the story, and Harper enhances the comical goings-on with sparkling cartoon sketches. Give this to . . . anyone looking for a funny book.” Charise lives in New York City.