School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-In this installment in the series, Grace and her friends are learning about recycling. Their teacher, Miss Lois, has challenged the third graders to work in groups and present a project on how to "go green" in some way. Many valuable ideas are presented, such as turning off lights, conserving water, and reusing and recycling. A subplot involves Grace's best friend's cousin coming for an extended stay and the trouble it causes. Narrated by Grace, the story is simple, yet informative and fun. Childlike drawings are interspersed throughout. This is an appealing book for early chapter-book readers. Fans of the series are sure to enjoy it, but it can stand on its own.-Michele Sealander, Hamburg School, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Just Grace returns in her fourth outing, which features an environmental theme. When her class begins a unit on "Going Green," (according to Grace, this does not mean "studying frogs" or "dressing up as Irish leprechauns"), Grace's take-charge attitude and "empathy powers" gain momentum, and she becomes a "superhero of conservation." Practical information is sprinkled throughout (Grace learns that conservation can also mean holding onto what's important). Sure to please Grace's fans. Ages 6-10. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Primary, Intermediate) Third-grader Just Grace (so named by teacher Miss Lois, who has many Graces in her class) continues to be her observant and empathetic self in this fourth book. Grace and her classmates are grateful that Mr. Frank, their always-fun former student teacher, has inspired Miss Lois to try some new things. Passionate about going green, she shares her excitement with her students, and Grace and best friend Mimi are inspired, too, whether presenting projects about endangered animals, creating superheroes of conservation, or coming up with daily ways to save the planet. Harper knows how to keep the first-person story moving while sneaking in information about recycling and reusing. Girls who are settling into chapter book series featuring Clementine and Judy Moody will love the fast pace and familiar school and family situations. Grace's amusing lists and headlines such as "How to Make a Bad Day Worse" and "What I Did That Was Unusual" will keep readers entertained, and Harper's sketches add interest and break up the text, leaving the new reader time to pause and smile. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
It takes about five hundred years for a plastic bottle to break down and disappear into the earth. The facts about conservation will enthrall readers as much as the friends' fun and mischief in this fourth lively chapter book in the Just Grace series. With short, snappy sentences and lots of small black-and-white cartoons, the book features young grade-schoolers' realistic talks about feeling mad, jealous, and happy with classmates and family. Grace is also concerned about pollution and what kids can do about it, and Harper offers specific suggestions, from recycling and decorating plastic water bottles to saving endangered red pandas, switching off the lights at home, and holding a yard sale. Instead of boring arithmetic, Grace wants exciting lessons about how to save the planet, and readers will want them too after finishing this enjoyable read.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2009 Booklist
