Review: Just Grace and the Terrible Tutu by Charise Mericle Harper

Just Grace and the Terrible Tutu
by Charise Mericle Harper
2011  | 176 pages | Chapter Book

I tried to tell Miss Lois that she’d made a mistake and that I wanted to be called just Grace, not Just Grace, but she put her hand up in the air and said, “That’s enough, girls. Let’s move on to the three Owens." And that’s how it happened that I have the stupidest name in the whole class! Or maybe even the whole entire world! ~Charise Mericle Harper, Just Grace

Just Grace and the Terrible Tutu is the 6th title in this series about eight-year-old Grace Stewart, whose "super power" of empathy guides her through various experiences with her school, friends, family, and neighborhood. I've read every book in the series up until now, and this newest addition was pretty typical of the series as a whole - that is to say, it was a quick, spirited read, with a lovable and lively narrator.

When Grace learns that her best friend Mimi's parents plan to adopt a new little girl into their family, she is very excited and eager to help prepare for the baby's arrival. When she has the opportunity to become a mother's helper, Grace invites Mimi to join her so that they can practice for when Mimi's sister comes. However, Lily, the four-year-old they are helping to care for, seems to like Grace more than she likes Mimi, and Mimi begins to doubt her capabilities as an older sister. To help her feel better, Grace must devise a plan to cheer up her friend, and to bring Mimi and Lily closer together.

The best thing about this series, in my opinion, is Grace's empowerment. She is an optimist through and through and never sits around waiting for things to get better. She makes her own destiny, and does what she can to improve the lives of those around her, especially those friends and relatives who don't share her same sense of determination.

In this book, specifically, I also noted some of the gender differences Grace perceives among her third grade classmates. For example, when she and Mimi walk to school holding hands, Grace comments, "It's too bad boys don't get to do that sort of thing, because it feels really nice (p.19)."

A few pages later, when the class begins to learn cursive, Grace observes, "All the girls in the class were excited - we could hardly wait to write in cursive. I don't think boys care so much about fancy writing. They never practice fancy letters like girls do (p.22)."

I remember these things being true when I was in third grade, and felt myself becoming more immersed in the culture of a third grade classroom. I also liked the way Grace's observations of the girls in her class highlighted one of the main questions explored in this book - does being a girl mean acting girly? Mimi worries that her new sister will like her only if she wears pink and spends time with The Giggle Girls, the girly group in Grace and Mimi's class. Grace, however, recognizes the truth - there are girls who like pink and who spend time pretending to be fairy princesses, or unicorns, and there are also girls, like herself and Mimi, who do not.

So many books about girls in late elementary school dive into the bullying issue and focus the popular kids versus the unpopular kids, but this one doesn't. This entire series focuses instead on unique problems that Grace is able to overcome using her own ingenuity. Even when the occasional help of a trusted adult is needed, Grace seeks that person's assistance, and leads everyone around her to her desired outcome. Grace doesn't worry about whether she's popular or not, and that is such a refreshing thing to see in a series like this.

Overall, I think reading this series really requires you to start at the beginning. It's been a while since I read the 5th book, and there were characters whose significance to the series I had forgotten. But fans of the series won't be disappointed by this latest book, and it's a series I really recommend to anyone looking for strong female characters who have a positive impact on the world around them. I'm already looking forward to the next Just Grace book, Just Grace and the Double Surprise, to be published August 1, 2011.

 
I purchased Just Grace and the Terrible Tutu for my Nook from Barnes & Noble.com.