Just Grace, Star on Stage (The Just Grace Series)
After Grace tries out for the class play, she is disappointed not to land the coveted part of fairy queen. Still, she learns her role as narrator and looks forward to the performance. A classmate’s illness creates an opportunity to step into a major role and save the play, though not (as readers might expect) as queen. Divided into short, episodic segments and illustrated with cartoonlike drawings, the first-person narrative records Grace’s shifting thoughts and emotions with finesse. The play provides a great focal point for this engaging chapter book, the ninth in the Just Grace series. Grades 2-4. --Carolyn Phelan