OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Gracie Saves the Day!" by Catherine Gibson.]

Gracie is a typical tomboy. She loves her friends and family. And she loves baseball. She was even good enough to get picked for the boys’ team. But not everyone thinks that’s a good thing. The school bully, Penelope, constantly teases Gracie for being “one of the boys.” But in Gracie Saves the Day! by Catherine Gibson and Michael LaChance, Gracie stands strong with the help of her friends.

When Gracie’s friend Mary begs her to participate in the school dance contest, Gracie is hesitant. She really wants to help Mary, but dancing is pretty far outside her comfort zone. Give her a ball and glove any day. But a tutu? Her friendship, however, is stronger than her own misgivings, and Gracie agrees. With family and friends behind her, Gracie even starts to get a little excited. But there’s Penelope, in the shiniest tutu, trying once again to bring her down. Gracie needs to make the ultimate decision: What is the most important thing to her? Is it her own success? Is it her best friend? Or is it taking down the meanest girl in school?

Gracie Saves the Day! is a story of friendship, dedication, and finding out who you are. It deals less with bullying and more with how children can and should react to it. It also shows the importance of friendship and standing up for others. The themes in the book are universally important, especially in a world where so many girls are lacking self-esteem. The authors create a hero who is willing to be a little embarrassed in order for her friend to succeed. It also shows, through Joey, how friends should encourage one another and build each other up in the face of bullying or criticism. Joey’s encouragement to Gracie is a wonderful example for children of all ages:

“So what? You’re a team player and Penelope’s not. You’re
a friend no matter what people look like or what they wear.
We like you just the way you are.”

The book is formatted as a picture book, with wonderful full-page illustrations by Rebekah Phillips. It has 25 pages. Although the story will appeal to children, especially girls, in grades K-4, the independent reading level is closer to grades 3 and 4. It would, however, make a nice read-aloud for younger children. The authors include an activity guide at the end of the book, with project ideas and discussion points. As an elementary school teacher, this is a very helpful addition, and allows teachers (and parents) to really drive home the lessons portrayed in the book. It also allows the children to role play specific situations, enabling them to be better prepared for them in real life.

My only criticism is that there are several editing errors in the book, mostly regarding proper punctuation. For example:

“Hey, Gracie is a girl.” Said Mary.

While adults generally will read past such errors, books are the way young children learn to write well, and careful editing is a must. Otherwise the reader will assume the punctuation is correct. For this reason only, I gave the book 3 out of 4 stars.

******
Gracie Saves the Day!
View: on Bookshelves

Like Tbunde5's review? Post a comment saying so!

The issues that the book addresses are very good and very important for sure. I believe Gracie had to choose friendship over the bullying. I hope that many will learn to accept themselves as they are as Gracie did.

There are so many great lessons in this book. Everyone needs to try things outside of his comfort zone. That's how we discover new hobbies and talents. It can also be a way for children and teens to develop their self-esteem. If one can be happy doing something that is awkward or unfamiliar, one can succeed at so many things.

I also like the anti-bullying message here. Bullying can be more subtle than people realize. It doesn't have to include physical violence. I especially like that the authors include the role playing activities.

Great review.

I completely agree! Grammar errors are extra noticeable in a children's book because children don't know the difference. We need to start children off on the right foot from a young age. Still, this sounds like a really great story. Maybe parents could direct the children about what is wrong with the grammar! Thanks.

I like your review and makes me feel like I have known Gracie from somewhere in my past. Your review is well detailed and I already like Gracie's character. I also like your quote about Joey's encouragement to Gracie.

Yes, Gracie is quite the tomboy character that many of us can identify with. We are confronted with similar issues in our everyday lives just like her, therefore, we must learn to deal with them just like Gracie. Great review.

I absolutely love the cover of this book! The illustrations are so sweet. The message also sounds very relevant to what kids are going through these days. Your review and synopsis of the theme of the book reminded me of my own experience growing up as a girl. I didn't want anything to do with wearing a dress, and I loved playing softball. In gym class, I was too good to play with the girl's team, so they put me on the boy's team! It does make a person feel like they stick out as different and maybe not as feminine as what we are supposed to be. But, I like how you described how the authors use this situation to teach kids that not everyone is going to fit perfectly into a mold. Thank you for your review. You did a great job explaining the highlights of this book.

This sounds like a great book - I hope they think about bringing out a revised edition.

Sounds like such a great book, too bad there were some errors in it keeping you from giving it 4 stars.

A children's book that teaches them how to react to bullying is a smart approach. It seems very useful for the era we live now. I also like that it teaches children not to care only about themselves but also care and do things for their friends. Thanks for this enthusiastic review!

You gave this book a thorough review and I compliment you for that. As you are a teacher, it is very thoughtful of you to address not only the important themes of the book but also the proper use of punctuation marks. It is indeed should be thought as early as when the children start writing and reading.

Sounds like the authors really tried to address serious issues, bringing it to a young demographic through this way is so important. Thank you for such a thorough review.

Good review, this book is advisable to children as well as adults it tackles problems as well as solutions and with the help of friendship, all ends well

Wow! I love children's books and this one is my best. Gracie is the best example of what a girl child should be. She considers her friend over herself, she is strong despite being bullied by Penelope and also she is willing to sacrifice for others. Thank you for your good review.

What a lovely book to teach the very young about friendship! I hope the author can remedy the editing issues to make the book a real winner.