Book Discussion Guide

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman

Amazing Grace

Grace is a young girl with big dreams! She loves to read and act out stories. Grace is excited to audition for the main character in her school play! When her classmates say she shouldn’t audition for Peter Pan because she is black, Grace’s Nana takes her to see a ballet, starring a ballerina who is also black. Grace learns that she should not allow racial prejudice to discourage her from working toward her dreams. Your family will be cheering Grace on by the end of the book as she overcomes stereotypes and works toward accomplishing her dreams of being an actress! This book is appropriate for a 3rd grade independent reader or a reader who might need support.

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Questions To Talk About
While Reading

Vocabulary

It's important to make sure that your child has an understanding of key words in the book. Talking about words while reading is a great way for your child to learn new words.

In this book, you might talk about these words:

  • wove (pg. 4)
  • companion (pg. 10)
  • auditions (pg. 14)

You might use a question like:

What other words on page 10 help you understand what companion means?

Key Ideas and Themes

In addition to words, it's important to talk about key ideas and themes and how they develop over the course of the book.

Here are some examples to get you started:

  • 1

    Before Grace’s teacher announced that the class would be putting on the play Peter Pan, the author tells the reader a lot about Grace. How do the words and pictures in the first half of the story help you understand what Grace is like? How would you describe her in your own words?

  • 2

    Grace’s classmates tell Grace that she shouldn’t play the role of Peter Pan. Ask your child what reasons they give Grace for not trying out. How does Grace respond?

  • 3

    Ask your child why Nana might have taken Grace to see the ballet, Romeo and Juliet. What effect does this experience have on Grace? How do you think this moves the story forward?

  • 4

    What finally leads Grace to decide to try out for Peter Pan, even though her classmates teased her about it? Talk with your child about what this says about Grace’s character.

  • 5

    Grace works very hard to achieve her goals. Talk about how this might reflect a theme
    in the story. Ask your child what Grace’s goals were and what barriers stood in her way. Do you think she was successful in reaching her goals? What evidence from the text tells you so?

Extra Activities

  • 1

    Return to the scene where Grace first shows she is interested in being Peter Pan. With your child, talk about how students in her or his class might have responded to Grace’s wishes. Now, have your child rewrite these two pages, placing him or herself as a student in Grace’s class. Ask your child: How would you respond to Grace’s interest in the role of Peter Pan? How is your point of view of her choice different or similar to her classmates? If the author was a student in Grace’s class, how do you think she would respond to Grace’s interest in playing Peter Pan?