Grace Goes to Washington by Kelly DiPucchio

LeUyen, please tell us about the beautiful Friendship Mall you designed for Grace Goes to Washington.

In the story, there is a scene where Grace tells her classmates, “A finer, kinder world starts with us and the choices we make.” To that I would add, “and the actions we take!” I’m certain there is at least one thing on the list that every student can do. There are a few ideas that invite creativity like making a newspaper or designing a campaign poster. Other ideas suggest places families can go, such as state capitol buildings, city council meetings, or political rallies. Some of the suggestions are simple and can be done from home or school (writing letters or doing research). After the Author’s Note, which gives a bit more information about the three branches of government, I shared fourteen tangible ideas for how kids might become more involved citizens and make a difference in their communities and in the country. Kelly: I’m so happy you asked that question because this is an important component of Grace Goes to Washington that I really want to emphasize.

I’m very proud of the new book we made and I am grateful to our editor, Rotem Moscovich, at Disney-Hyperion for her enthusiasm, guidance and support along the way. I have so much respect for her as an artist and a human being. It was also exceedingly fun to have another chance to collaborate with LeUyen again. So, I was very excited for the opportunity to reach a whole new batch of readers with a second story. And I heard from scores of parents and teachers and women who said the book moved them to tears. I met countless little girls across the country who were eager to tell me they were going to grow up to be president one day. Over the years I have met thousands of kids who have been inspired by Grace Campbell’s determination and spirit. At the same time, I felt our country was ready for a sequel and I was beyond excited to create another story for this character who has taken on a life of her own since the first book was published in 2008. Writing a follow-up to Grace for President truly was all of the things you mentioned: exciting, fun, and terrifying! I knew the bar was going to be set really high and I felt a tremendous amount of pressure to not disappoint Grace’s amazing supporters. Kelly DiPucchio: Thank you for the invitation, John! And thank you for being a special part of Grace’s world from the very beginning.

to celebrate Grace Goes to Washington, a companion to Grace for President! What was the most exciting / fun / terrifying thing about returning to Grace’s world? Hello, Kelly DiPucchio and LeUyen Pham! Thank you for visiting Watch.

Grace Goes to Washington by Kelly DiPucchio