This review is in partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Emerald Lake Books.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Greta Grace: A Greta Grace Gibson Story About Bullying and Self-Esteem
Written by Joanna Quinn
Ages 9+ | 190 Pages
Publisher: Emerald Lake Books | ISBN-13: 9781945847448
Publisher’s Synopsis: What’s worse than being invisible? Being noticed by the school bully.
Greta Grace likes her life. She isn’t the most popular girl in school-some days she even feels invisible-but she gets good grades and stays out of trouble.
She has a best friend in Samantha and a grandmotherly neighbor who is never too busy for a chat. Her mom can be a bit overprotective, but Greta Grace doesn’t blame her. Being a single parent probably isn’t the easiest job in the world.
When her longtime crush finally starts noticing her, Greta Grace thinks her life might even be perfect.
But when a merciless bully takes aim at Greta Grace, her carefree existence suddenly ends.
Who ever knew that school could be so hard?
PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3A14a0j
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/2078/9781945847448
My Review
Greta Grace Gibson is a sensitive girl who has so much going in her life. She lives with her mom and has a beloved neighbor who is like a grandmother to her. Mrs. McGee spends a lot of time with Greta Grace and her mom. Greta Grace comes to see her every day after school.
When Greta Grace begins to get bullied at school by Casey and her friends, she just takes it and doesn’t tell her mother or teacher. The bullying gets so bad that her best friend turns against her, because she doesn’t want to also be attacked. Greta Grace’s crush befriends her and then becomes her boyfriend. She’s thrilled, but the bully continues to escalate the attacks.
Greta Grace becomes very distraught after Mrs. McGee is in the hospital in a coma. She visits daily and tells the old lady about her life and begs her to come back to her. Greta Grace talks to God and her angels. Her mother also encourages her to practice meditation and yoga. There is more spiritualism than faith in this book.
As things become too much for her, Greta finally shares with her mother. Her mother quickly handles things. But, there are more problems that need to be resolved. There is so much darkness and so many problems for such a young girl to deal with. The author seems to enable the characters to deal with many of the issues in their lives, and points out how young people should reach out and be truthful about what they might be facing.
The book has a very abrupt ending. There will be more to the story in the next book of the series about Greta Grace. The book is clean and free of bad language. There are discussion questions at the end of the book, and parents need to read these and see if they are appropriate for their faith.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joanna O’Reilly Quinn can usually be found learning something new to teach teens. As a former middle school teacher, founder of Super Empowered One, and life coach, it is no surprise that her middle-grade fiction book, Greta Grace, weaves some teachable moments into her character’s very relatable experiences. Think, middle school… Ahhh!Through her company, Super Empowered One, Joanna teaches kids how to access their confidence, happiness and power, so they can live their best life. Joanna loves writing, the ocean, a good run, and living in Fairfield, Connecticut, with her husband and two kids. Visit her at superempoweredone.com to learn more about her coaching services and Greta Grace.
If you’re interested in having Joanna conduct a program for your group or come speak to your students, you can contact her at emeraldlakebooks.com/quinn and superempoweredone.com/.
TOUR SCHEDULE
| Monday, September 20, 2021The Children’s Book ReviewA book review ofGreta Grace: A Greta Grace Gibson Story About Bullying and Self-Esteem |
| Tuesday, September 21, 2021Over Coffee ConversationAn interview withJoanna Quinn |
| Wednesday, September 22, 2021Life Is What It’s CalledA book review ofGreta Grace: A Greta Grace Gibson Story About Bullying and Self-Esteem |
| Thursday, September 23, 2021A Dream Within a DreamA book review ofGreta Grace: A Greta Grace Gibson Story About Bullying and Self-Esteem |
| Friday, September 24, 2021The Momma SpotA book review ofGreta Grace: A Greta Grace Gibson Story About Bullying and Self-Esteem |
| Sunday, September 26, 2021Barbara Ann Mojica’s BlogA book review ofGreta Grace: A Greta Grace Gibson Story About Bullying and Self-Esteem |
| Monday, September 27, 2021The Fairview ReviewA book review ofGreta Grace: A Greta Grace Gibson Story About Bullying and Self-Esteem |
| Tuesday, September 28, 2021icefairy’s Treasure ChestA book review ofGreta Grace: A Greta Grace Gibson Story About Bullying and Self-Esteem |
| Wednesday, September 29, 2021Book Bug CAA book review ofGreta Grace: A Greta Grace Gibson Story About Bullying and Self-Esteem |
| Thursday, September 30, 2021Rajiv’s ReviewsA book review ofGreta Grace: A Greta Grace Gibson Story About Bullying and Self-Esteem |
| Monday, October 4, 2021Lisa’s ReadingA book review ofGreta Grace: A Greta Grace Gibson Story About Bullying and Self-Esteem |
| Tuesday, October 5, 2021Satisfaction for Insatiable ReadersA book review ofGreta Grace: A Greta Grace Gibson Story About Bullying and Self-Esteem |
| Wednesday, October 6, 2021Periodical GazetteAn interview and book review ofGreta Grace: A Greta Grace Gibson Story About Bullying and Self-Esteem |
| Thursday, October 7, 2021Glass of Wine, Glass of MilkAn interview and book review ofGreta Grace: A Greta Grace Gibson Story About Bullying and Self-Esteem |
Giveaway
Enter for a chance to win a copy of Greta Grace, along with a 1-hr coaching session for a parent on how to raise a super-empowered teen.
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A copy of Greta Grace
A 1-hr parenting coaching session with Joanna Quinn
Four (4) winners receive:
A copy of Greta Grace
The giveaway begins September 20, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends October 20, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.
Greta Grace Giveaway
This book sounds aweseome. My granddaughter, who is approaching that age, would love it.