Just Grace Book

Grace is not as kind or as amusing, perhaps, as the characters in some other easy chapter book series, but she is not a monster either. This is the first book in a series of at least twelve, so someone else must appreciate her imperfections. She's a little rough on a classmate, Sammy Stringer, because of his interest in poop, but I can't say I blame her. When her neighbors cat starts avoiding its owner for fear of the woman's new cast, Grace sets out to do some good. It does not work out the way she planned, but her perseverance is admirable. When the adults find out her intentions were good, she still gets in some trouble, which does not seem to faze her but surprised me! The text includes drawings and postcards created by Grace. There aren't chapters, but there are short sections with titles, which reinforces the feeling of reading a journal. The voice was not completely successful in my opinion, it did not fully endear me to Grace, perhaps because the story was a tad too quiet and we did not share a really strong crisis or other emotional roller coaster ride. That may not happen in other books. If my read aloud of this one inspires my daughter to try more, maybe she'll let me know.