Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace is written by Mary Hoffman and Illustrated by Caroline Binch. It was published in 1991 by Dial Books for Young Readers.

Lexile Level: 680L     Ages: 4-8

Summary:

     Grace is a girl who loves stories, whether they're from books, movies, or the kind her grandmother tells. She would act out the stories and gave herself the most exciting parts, such as, Joan of Arc or Anansi the Spider. Sometimes she got her mom and grandmother to join. Her school decided to do a performance of Peter Pan and Grace wants to play the lead, but her classmates point out that Peter Pan is a boy and he wasn't black. Feeling down her grandmother takes her to a performance of Romeo and Juliet, only to find out Juliet was played by a Rosalie Wilkins, who was black. Feeling confident Grace auditions for Peter Pan and the results were amazing!

Evaluation:

     The story line of this book is powerful. This young girl Grace wants to be Peter Pan but is judged because Peter Pan is a boy and he is white. Grace had a change in attitude when her grandmother took her to the Romeo and Juliet performance. So? Anyone can do anything if they set their mind to it. She overcame the others comments and proved that a black girl could play Peter Pan just as well as a white male.
     The illustrations portrayed the characters and their culture well. Amazing Grace is full of gorgeous illustrations and the lesson that anybody can do anything, regardless of race or gender. The illustrations with other students shows diversity as well. Some of the students are black and some students are white.

Illustrations and Elements:

     As mentioned above the illustrations were accurately displayed. As for the literary elements Mary Hoffman shows the meaning/ purpose of the book as complex because there are several issues portrayed in this story (stereotyping). We see this when Grace's mother "looked angry" when Grace told her about Natalie's Comment at school "I can't be Peter Pan because I'm black". The theme is revealed through the story as overcoming an obstacle (the other students' comments). Language is another literary element that stood out in Amazing Grace. There are several instances of dialect, for example, when Nana says, "Natalie is another one who don't know nothing" and "she can do anything she want".  There is also use of figurative language. Such as, "put her mind to it" and "lives were in her hands". These add complexity and may need to be explained to students. Hoffman also includes characters that are important to Grace, she includes her mom and Nana. Without these characters support she would have believed what her classmates were saying about the role of Peter Pan.

1.Theme: Overcoming obstacles in life
2.Characters: Grace, Grace's mom, and Grace's Nana
3.Language: Some use of figurative language

In the Classroom:

Amazing Grace is a book that can be used for discussions. It could be for small group discussions or large group discussions. I would do a large group discussion and ask for reactions.

• After reading, ask students to share their reactions to the book. What did they think of the book? What surprised them about the book? What was their favorite part? What did they think of the main character?

Hoffman, M., & Binch, C. (1991). Amazing Grace. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.