Boundless Grace

Grace

by Mary Hoffman, Caroline Binch (Illustrator)

Mary Hoffman and Caroline Binch bring their heroine to brilliant life in this charming sequel to the award-winning  Amazing Grace .

When Grace gets the opportunity to go to Africa and visit with her father and his new family, she feels a little strange. But Nana says families are what you make them, and Grace is going to make the most of hers! 

"As assured and uplifting as its predecessor." - Publishers Weekly , starred review

"Validating, uplifting, and bound to please." - School Library Journal , starred review

A Reading Rainbow Book * A Parents Choice Best Book of the Year
A Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year * Parenting Magazine Reading Magic Award
An NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Cultural, Realistic Fiction, Africa, Childrens, African American

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

See also works published under Mary Lassiter

Mary Hoffman is a bestselling British author and reviewer, born in 1945. She is a true enthusiast of Italy and spends a lot of her time there, which shows in her Stravaganza novels: a series currently in publication. In total, she has written over 80 books, including the aforementioned Stravaganza series and the bestselling picture book, Amazing Grace. Mary is also the editor of a review magazine Armadillo for kids.

Watch the book trailer for David, Mary Hoffman's most recent novel

Reviews

[Betsey Brannen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated book about a young girl struggling with her parents divorce.

[Scott Houston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book because it helps to assuage some of the anxieties students with divorced or LGBT parents face when being compared to "normal" heterosexual ones. The author makes clear the path of acceptance, in that the main character should not feel bad about having a divorced family because families are what you make of them. For classroom instruction I would use the text to try and get my class to become more accepting of families that are different from their own. I would recommend this book to teachers because it models acceptance with what life can throw at you, and it can inspire initiative in students with the repeated moral of the story "family is what you make of it," meaning whatever kind of family you have, it can be as good if not better than anyone else's.

[Rashanda Ravenel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was able to connect on a personal level coming from a single-parent home. This is a great introduction to discuss family types with children. Since many children are exposed to this depiction of "normal families" on television, it is important for them to know that there are many different types of families and that it is alright to have a different family structure. I would use it as an opportunity to find out more about my students and how they feel about their families.On another note, it can also be used to discuss facial expressions since Hoffman does an amazing job at capturing the feelings of Grace. The students can explain what she might be feeling and explain.

[M.L. Desir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations, a lovable main character, and a realistic story and setting. Entertaining, quick read to my little ones.

[AMHarriman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life isn't what it's like in fairy tales! Grace learns this lesson and decides to embrace the fact that her family is different than most.

[Rosalie Beyer-Krohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: Grace longs to be part of a storybook family, but her parents are divorced and her father started a new family back in Africa. When Grace goes to visit her father in Gambia, she struggles to adjust to the culture and her new family, eventually realizing that her family is perfect just the way it is.

Genre: Multicultural. Grace is African-American, her parents are divorced, and her father lives in Africa. She struggles to adapt to the unfamiliar culture when she visits Africa, but she also embraces it. This book can really help students understand the struggles of their peers whose parents may be divorced, or any immigrant classmates that may be struggling to adapt to cultural changes.

Reading Level: M

Writing Mentor Traits:

Organization: Boundless Grace hooks the reader in the first paragraph and wraps the story up with a memorable and satisfying ending. Students could use it as a mentor text for writing their own hooks and conclusions.
Other Classroom Uses: You could also discuss what a family is and that families can be very different but still wonderful. Students could write their own stories about what family means to them.

[Kayla Angeletti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much! Everything about this book was beautiful from the illustrations to the message. My favorite part was the pictures because everything Looks so real, especially the characters. This book was about a family with just a mom, grandmother, and daughter which isn't a complete family according to this book and the many books and movies that portrayed this image. The daughter noticed that her family was not like everything that she has right so she thought that her family was wrong. I think they were presentation matters in there it's good to expose children some more than what's considered "normal". I think that the main message was that families are what YOU make them and not what you read or see and I love that message. This book also shows some things and how they are done differently in Africa! I would recommend everyone read this book, I think you will fall in love!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a young girl whose parents are separated in her father lives in Africa she is sad that there isn't any stories about parents who aren't together only stories about Mom and Dad brother and sister and a cat and a dog and she felt like her family wasn't complete. She got to visit her father and Africa and over the time she got to meet her father's side of the family she also felt like she didn't fit in because her dad already had a daughter and son with the Stepmom but nana had told her families are what you make of them so in the end she decides to write stories about how her family is and says stories are of what you make of them just like families are what you make of them

[Nicolina Circella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did a wonderful job in highlighting non-traditional families. Many students today do not realize that there is another world outside of what they know. I had previously read the first book in this series "Amazing Grace". Although I enjoyed this book, I do not think it held up to the expectations from the first book. This story still hits a good mark while describing the new life of a young girl who is now faced with a situation she never could have imagined. This book, and series, would be a good addition to any classroom library.

[Nichole Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre Non Fiction 2nd-4th

This is an amazing story about a girl named Grace who is reunited with her father. I actually read this story with a second-grade boy who lost his father. This was a very touching story to read together. I think this is a great story to share with a student who needs to be touched by love and needs the support and advice of coping with two families. You can read this to younger grade levels or have a higher grade level student read it to you. But over all a great story!!!!!

[Kristen Lunsford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a great story line behind it. I think when children have parents that go through a divorce at any age it is hard and they may feel like their parents do not love them as much. This book conveys a very positive message that even though their parents are separated that there is still plenty of love. Depending on the type of school system I work in I plan on reading this to my classroom.

[Alissa Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grade Level: 3rd-4th
Genre: Contemporary Realistic
Grace learns another life lesson in Boundless Grace. The book addresses what a child might experience in a single parent home and child's perspective about divorce. Mary Hoffman has crafted another beautiful story that will help any child cope with living in a single parent household. I believe Boundless Grace should be in every early elementary school library. I hope everyone this book as much as I did.

[Emily Newcomer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic in so many ways. Grace is a very perceptive child, and faces some of the same struggles many young kids face today. I think this book would be great for a classroom setting or any child who may not have a traditional family. It can be hard not seeing your family reflected in the stories you read, and Grace totally gets that.

[Manu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mommy: 5 stars: beautifully written and the illustrations are gorgeous

Leila: 5 stars: that I wanna keep it in MY bookshelf. I liked it and they loved playing all together.

Maxwell: 5 stars: that even though any part of your family doesn’t live with you they are still part of your family. They just live someplace else.

[Charity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace worries that her family isn't a "real" family because it doesn't look like the ones she sees in books. A trip to visit her father in Africa helps her see that there are all kinds of ways to make a family.

Without patronizing young readers, this story addresses strong emotions around the nature of family and a sense of belonging. Beautiful illustrations.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book about non-traditional families. Grace's parents are divorced and she struggles with changing her life and moving in with her dad. The illustrations are amazing and I think it can be very relatable to many children.

[Jenese Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a nice perspective for kids who do not have the typical family that most books have. It was such a heart warming story about a little girl finally meeting her father and his family. Grace finally knows that family is what you make it and to accept the differences.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grace reads many stories of families, but none mirror the one that is hers. What does that mean? Ah, it means beautiful things ahead for this girl, as loved as she is by all her family. This is a story of discovery and family ties and travel and growth.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace is invited for a visit with her father and his new family in Africa. At first, she doesn’t feel like they are a family, but she learns “Families are what you make of them.”

[Briana Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book and a great example of how life isn’t always a fairytale and family isn’t always perfect.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace has a step family and goes to Africa to visit them. Why is Africa treated as if it's one country - one place in most books?

[Fran Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with a good representation of another culture.

[MaryAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for children struggling with accepting divorce or family living apart; also useful for other non-traditional family acceptance. Lovely representation of Africa.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a beautiful book. love the story, and the art is amazing. this is a positive take on a blended family situation, a great way to help children learn about it, or see others going through what they are, and that it's not all bad.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ages 4 and up. Grace learns from her American mother about her parents' divorce and ends up going to visit her father in The Gambia. A beautiful story about family and growing up with two cultures.

[Emily Copeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Read #3

Summary: Boundless Grace is about a young girl that struggles with not having what she thinks is the "picture perfect" family. She is always reading about families that have a mom,dad, brother, sister and then a dog. But her family is just her, her mother and nana because her dad and mom spilt many years ago and he went back to Africa when she was so young. She never knew much about him or heard from him except at Christmas and her birthday.Until one day when she comes home she has a letter from her father inviting her to come visit during her spring break all expenses paid. Her nana and her make the long trip to Africa and are greeted right away by her father. Grace is so happy to see him but struggles and becomes more closed off when she meets his new wife, their 2 kids and their dog. To her she realizes that they already have a "perfect" family and there isn't any room for her to join. As her visit continues she grows closer with her new siblings and starts to love them as her own. When her trip comes to an end she goes home and shares with her family that she wants to be able to write her own story and share it with people that happy families aren't always what you think they are.

Theme: In this story I would say the theme is "it is what you make it". The grandmother even says this multiple times applying it to Graces is family, and then later on to her story. Every situation is what you make of it, it could be a very bad situation or it can be turned into a great situation. Your attitude and how you handle things makes a big difference.

Personal Response: I personally really like the reoccurring statement and theme that this book makes. I personally come from what Grace thinks to be a perfect family and it has opened my eyes up to how some other children may handle all the stories they read and wonder why their families are not the same. I love this book and think it so different from what other authors are writing. I think it would be a great book to have in classrooms because in this day and age statistics show that there are more divorced/broken families than families that are whole. I also agree with all that the grandmother says, your experiences and thoughts are really what you make them. If you want it to be a bad experience and closed off to it then it will be but if you try to see it in a positive way things can change.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book for any ages kindergarten and up. Personally I found this book very powerful in such an easy and understandable way for younger children. The whole book talks about the struggles of not having a father and how Grace notices and deals with it. She recognizes that she isn't like every family and this is hard for her. Even when she gets to visit her father she has a hard time accepting that he has another family, eventually she does but I feel that this could be very relatable for some young children maybe going through the same thing.

[Tony Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was easy to follow and the illustrations were great. This book talks about a kind of family and how not all families are like those written in story books. There were good connections between the characters and shows how they were able to accept certain situations. The point it makes on family really drives the story.

[Courtney Dyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boundless Grace, sequel to inspiring story Amazing Grace, is a powerful story that explores the idea that families come in all different shapes and sizes but these differences don’t necessarily mean that there is any less love. Binch’s pencil and watercolor artwork are expressively stunning and a perfect complement to this culturally accepting story.

Grace longs for the kind of family she reads about in books- ones with a mother and a father, a boy and a girl, and a dog and a cat. Her father left a long time ago and now lives back in Africa with his new family. Over spring vacation, Grace is given the opportunity to travel to The Gambia with Nana to visit her Papa. She becomes overwhelmed and doesn’t think she can manage two families. With the help of Nana, Grace comes to realize that her family is not the problem and embraces the idea that family is what you make it.



While this story has a strong message and I did enjoy reading it, I didn’t love it as much as I loved Hoffman’s first book Amazing Grace. I feel that this book is more suitable for a slightly older audience of children ages 7-9. The pages are fairly wordy and the use of higher vocabulary didn’t seem appropriate for younger readers to me. As a teacher, I would recommend using this book as a read aloud in a 2nd or 3rd grade classroom. It also makes for a great addition to a Social Studies unit on families with special focus placed on nontraditional family units.

[Deena Lernor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is the sequel to Amazing Grace. Grace is struggling to figure out what its like to have a father. She reads books where families have a mommy and daddy. Grace wonders what it is like to have a father, and starts to make up her own version of a father. One day Grace gets a letter in the mail from her father giving her money to go fly and see him. When she gets there she realizes they already have a perfect family and how is she going to fit in. Throughout the book Grace opens up to the family and is able to experience the African culture. When she leaves her father she realizes that all the books she had been reading were nothing like what families were like. She decides she is going to make up her own version of how a family may look.

This book brings up the critical issue of separated families. It shows the reader that it is normal to have a mommy and a daddy but not together. Grace shows the struggles she goes through when trying to figure out what a family looks like. This book fits the genre of contemporary realistic fiction because the situation can happen to anyone but the plot is somewhat fictional. The illustrations are colorful bringing the African culture to life in every page. The illustrations show the emotions Grace goes through as a child trying find out what family means. This books is great for readers because it shows them a family can come in many shapes and sizes.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

(CIP) Grace is invited for a visit with her father and his new family in Africa

(Claudia) Although American Grace and her mother and grandmother are a loving family, Grace becomes discontented that her African father does not live with them. When her father sends money so that Grace and her Grandmother can visit his new family in Banjul, Gambia, Grace gradually invents a new story to tell herself about her family. A believable and helpful portrayal of a child coming to terms with her “alternative” family, with attractive illustrations that offer a glimpse of life in Gambia. A worthy sequel to “Amazing Grace,” in which Grace and her classmates discovered that a brown-skinned girl can play Peter Pan as well as (or better than!) anyone else. Gr. 1-3.

(Africa Access) "It is gratifying ... to see a beautifully illustrated book that depicts an African country in a non-stereotypical and authentic manner. ... Howard University professor Sulayman Nyang, a former resident of Banjul, found the illustrations accurate in almost every detail ... Succinct text, wonderful illustrations, and a much needed message make Boundless Grace a winner."

(SLJ) "Through the wonderful visit and getting to know her stepfamily Grace learns to embrace life even when it isn't picture perfect ... [a] universal story that is validating, uplifting, and bound to please."