When a struggling student teacher assigns a group project, seven-year-old Just Grace gets so involved in working with Grace W. and Grace F. that she fails to understand why she and her best friend, Mimi, are drifting apart.

"There's a new crossing guard in town named Marie who needs a bit of help making friends, a fun substitute teacher for Miss Lois, and most exciting, Grace and Mimi are going to have their own table at the craft fair"--

"Bean Dog and Nugget lose Bean Dog's shiny new ball in a bush. They dream up elaborate and silly ways to get it back while they argue about who is actually going to go and get it"--

The finalists face surprises as they find their culinary knowledge, ingenuity, and friendship tested in the final week of competition that will determine who earns the title of Next Best Junior Chef. Includes facts about foods' flavors and textures and how they can be combined.

"Bean Dog and Nugget argue about who will get the bigger half of a cookie. They try to outwit each other by all sorts of imaginative means--but they find out that what really counts in the end is friendship"--

Lots of exciting things are happening to Grace and her friends. Most exciting of all, Mimi's older cousin Gwen is coming to stay with Mimi, and Miss Lois's class is going green! For their "green" project, Grace and Mimi aim to inspire their friends and classmates to conserve plastic bottles. But a far more important issue is that Gwen has taken a strong liking to Mimi's favorite stuffed toy, Willoughby. Just Grace uses her empathy superpower to figure...