Just Grace and the Flower Girl Power

Just Grace and the Flower Girl Power
Written by Charise Mericle Harper
Published at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

About the book

Fresh, innovative, and loaded with laugh-out-loud wit and humor, Just Grace is a series that stands out from the pack, just like Grace herself. Author Charise Harper weaves together distinctive, quirky illustrations and vibrant characters in fast-paced stories that capture familiar school and family situations that every young girl can relate to in a truly authentic voice. Artist, comedian, animal-lover, environmentalist, cook, sister, good friend —Grace is the quintessential 3rd grader… just a little bit… different.

In this eighth addition to the series—Grace has major problems. Her neighbor is getting married and she has to get over her disappointment at not being chosen for a flower girl, not to mention figure out what to give as a wedding present! But with a touch of girl power, Grace musters up a fantastic idea that takes a lot of planning and a little help from all of her friends; her dog, Mr. Scruffers; and Crinkles the cat. Will her plan go off without a hitch on wedding day?

Who is Charise Mericle Harper?

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 Westchester County, New York. Visit her website at www.chariseharper.com and visit Just Grace's website at www.justgracebooks.com, where you'll find all sorts of fun things, including videos, quizzes, and information about all the Just Grace books.

My Thoughts

Initially, I thought this book would be fun to read.   But the more I read it, the more I got disappointed.    Not sure if it is because I don’t understand the humor or just the way the story is presented but this is a book that I won’t put in my daughter’s hands.   

First, I am disturbed that the little girl – Grace – named her dog Mr. Scruffers when in fact it is a female dog.    Why now changed it to Mrs. Scruffers instead when she realized the error.   It is simply weird to me.    Second, the huge titles in the middle of the page at various paragraphs is somewhat disturbing my reading.   Do I really need to see these every two seconds or so?   Not.  Mind you I have read a series where the chapters could be numerous pages or one sentence long but it was done differently that in this case.   More enjoyable to read to.   This book is somewhat annoying to read but the way it is written and for the illustrations in it too.    I am not particularly fond of that kind of illustrations.   I prefer having some that are more pleasant for the eyes.

The book is hardcover, easy to bring along and contains plenty of illustrations.  Now, this book attached to the previous titles in the series I think because it refers to events that happened in the past.    Not having read any of the Just Grace books before, I found it hard to follow at times (well because of the past events as well as the disturbing titles at every page!).

So I am in a pickle here.   Could I recommend this book?   Well based on my taste I wouldn’t.   Mind you I am French Canadian and I don’t get English humor most of the time.   So if your child enjoyed the previous books, I guess this book would be a delight for her.   However, if she has never read the Just Grace books, I wouldn’t recommend it.   

Just Grace and the Flower Girl Power is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Allen for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.