“You can be anything when you want when you put your mind to it.” This is what Grace’s Nana tells her when her classmates denied her of the role she yearns to try for in the school play, on the grounds of her gender and race. This is also what the inspiring journey of British writer Marry Hoffman’s story, Amazing Grace begins with. 

What do you think Grace and her challenges represent in the journey of success? How has minority rights and status developed over the twenty-nine years since Hoffman’s book was first published? Was the change for the better or worse?

When Grace finds herself discouraged by her classmate’s claims that she couldn’t play Peter Pan, her Nana motivates her by showing her a black ballerina’s performance. Why do you think this boosted Grace’s confidence levels so effectively? 

In the end, Grace is voted to play for Peter Pan and proves herself to be ‘amazing Grace’ in that Christmas play. How do you think this impacts the perceptions of Grace and her fellow classmates on herself as well as other minorities? 

Do you agree that being the ‘best’ means you always get chosen? What are some of the reasons this might not be the case? What would be the consequence of Grace not being chosen despite her efforts? How do you suggest she deal with that? 

From ‘unsuitable Grace’ to ‘amazing Grace’, what are some of the lessons and qualities exhibited by Grace that we should all learn from? How is family an important role in this venture?