Starring Grace (Puffin Chapters) - Softcover

Hoffman, Mary

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0142300225 ISBN 13: 9780142300220

Publisher: Puffin Books, 2001

Synopsis

A chapter bookk sequel to New York Times bestseller and finalist Kate Greenaway Medal, Amazing Grace and Boundless Grace.

School’s out . . . and of course that means it’s time for fun! Grace and her friends are always ready for a little adventure, and Grace’s backyard is the perfect place to set up headquarters. Suddenly the lawn is transformed into the center ring of a big-top circus, then a rocket launch pad, and then a hospital emergency room! The group’s exploits, both real and imagined, provide all kinds of unexpected rewards—and might even land Grace on an actual stage in a real theater production!
 
“This is sure to be a hit with fans of Amazing Grace and Boundless Grace. . . . [A] fast-paced choice.”—School Library Journal

About this title

About the Author:

Mary Hoffman has written more than 70 books for children, and her powers of observation bring vitality and humour to all her stories and retellings.

Her previous titles for Dorling Kindersley include Henry's Baby and A First Bible Story Book. Her best-known picture books are Amazing Grace, Three Wise Women, and An Angel Just Like Me. Mary lives in Oxfordshire with her husband and they have three daughters. The girls were brought up on myths and legends, of which Mary and her husband have an extensive collection.
Caroline Binch lives in Cornwall, England.

From Kirkus Reviews:

The creators of the popular picture books Amazing Grace (1991) and Boundless Grace (1995) have brought fans a beginning chapter book about Grace and her friends. It's summer, and the kids keep each other busy playing circus and jungle explorers, inventing a time machine, and trying out for the local production of Annie. Grace learns, as always, important lessons--about privacy, friendship, and family--from her Ma and Nana and neighbor Mrs. Myerson. She and her friends get along well, and always have a good idea for a new game. Curiously, they use expressions like chatting, odds and ends, and squabble, making them sound British. (Hoffman lives in London, but she's set the story in the US.) Each of the eight chapters is episodic, and though they are linked to each other, there is no binding plot. Hoffman's narrative style is nearly identical to that in her picture books and, unfortunately, does not provide much in the way of setting. In the picture books, this was compensated for by the illustrations; here, Binch's black-and-white art (not seen) is only occasional, and Hoffman hasn't made the leap to a style that will engage readers in a chapter-book format. Nor does she introduce the characters, who are difficult to get to know until well into the story, to readers new to the books. However, readers already familiar with these characters may enjoy learning about their new adventures. (Fiction. 5-9) -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0142300225
• ISBN 13: 9780142300220
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96
• Illustrator: Binch Caroline