It's time for the school fair, and Just Grace's class has chosen a cupcake theme. But the fair’s highlight, a cupcake competition, causes quite a stir when Grace gets paired with dreadful Owen 1 and not with her best pal, Mimi. Grace is devastated. And just when she thinks things can’t get worse, her team votes down her idea to build a cupcake Eiffel Tower in favor of building Spiderman.
It's a challenging time for Grace. Will she be able to overcome her disappointment and lead her team onward? Will Grace’s team ever figure out how to make a Spiderman out of cupcakes?
Visit Just Grace’s website at www.justgracebooks.com to find all sorts of fun things, including videos, quizzes, and information about all the Just Grace books.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Another enjoyable visit with Grace
By J. Hundley
My seven-year-old and I have just finished the latest Just Grace novel and can report it as another winner in the series. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the books is the glimpse into Grace's inner life. While these are ultimately breezy and light-hearted books, her interior dialog gives them a bit more zest than many of the other series aimed at young readers and allow Grace to emerge a little more three dimensional than some of the other young heroines.That said, my only caveat is that the series has now progressed to the point where it is advisable to start with the earlier books rather than jump in in the middle. We started with book 3 or 4 and then backtracked, but at the point we started, we were able to find our footing with relative ease. At this point, an awful lot is going to be confusing for the newbie - some of her relationships with other characters, some plot points that refer back to things that took place in previous books, so forth.In any case, friendships are tested (but not too severely), old characters are seen in new lights, and cupcakes and baked, eaten, worn as costumes, and philosophized about. I highly recommend this series as entertaining, well-written and occasionally thought-provoking. Nothing heavy here, but they aren't aimed at an audience wants, or is ready for, dramatic emotional crisis and hard-hitting topics. The series lets kids be kids, without moralizing, brow-beating or talking down.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.Cute Character
By J. Weaver
I'd never heard of the Just Grace series until I read other reviews of this particular book, so I feel I should start by saying that this book will easily stand on its own even if you haven't read its nine predecessors.Just Grace is a cute character. She's an independent girl with a strong sense of herself and a strong sense of what she wants, without being bratty about it. She lives next door to her best friend and the two of them are going to be working on the third grade fair with the rest of their class. In addition to coming up with ideas for the class to vote on, Grace's grandmother visits for a couple of days, and Grace wants to show off her dog.While the conflict of the story is slow in making itself known, the story itself flows along rather nicely, as it is written as a sort of journal in Grace's first person voice. Along with descriptions about what Grace is going through and thinking, there are drawings throughout the book that show Grace's view of the world. These drawings are also presented from Grace's perspective, as if she is doodling in her notebook.The formatting of the book took a bit of getting used to for me. On the one hand, I think it had some appeal because nearly every page has some sort of picture to keep a kid interested, and short headings give the reader a brief glimpse at what will happen. However, there are no traditional chapter breaks. As an English teacher, I kind of miss the structure. As a new chapter book reader, my daughter seemed to find it a bit awkward figuring out good stopping points, as one section often flowed into another.But what got me about the book is my daughter really enjoyed it. She laughed at the illustrations and was almost as excited as Grace about the idea of a cupcake themed fair. In fact, she liked it enough, that I would have no qualms ordering the entire series for her if she asks (which she hasn't done yet, but I wouldn't be surprised about).
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.Not a Classic
By Yours Truly
I sometimes share books with a second grade neighbor, and she's a big Junie B. Jones fan. I thought she might want to try Just Grace, and while she liked the book fine (she reads a little slowly but thoroughly) she said Grace was no Junie B. And she found the book a little long. A big artist herself, she loved the illustrations, though.
