PRE-READING
It's 1930, twelve-year-old Gracie has gone from a tiny cottage full of brothers and sisters to a large, quiet house with her widowed Aunt Peg.
And then the Travelling Players arrive.
I've read quite a bit of Judi Curtin's work before, so I already knew I could expect meticulous research alongside the story. I was very curious to see what she would do with a completely new historical setting and a new heroine.
POST-READING
I really enjoyed Gracie.
Gracie is a sweet, likeable character, and she feels particularly close to Alice, the heroine of Judi Curtin's earlier series. She's curious and thoughtful, and watching her adjust to a life that is completely different from the one she's known makes for a lovely story.
The historical detail is, as always, excellent. Curtin manages to give you a strong sense of the period without making the book feel like a history lesson. You simply find yourself inside Gracie's world.
As I expected
The research is every bit as good as I've come to expect from Judi Curtin.
There are all those little details that make historical fiction convincing: the way people behave, what they wear, what they can and can't do, and the expectations placed on them. Nothing feels like it's been dropped in merely to announce LOOK, THIS IS 1930.
And then there are the Players.
When they finally arrive, they absolutely live up to their billing. Liliana and her family bring colour, noise and excitement into Gracie's much quieter life, and I loved the contrast.
Silk and satin, feathers and bright colours, costumes and theatre — they are wonderfully vivid against the much more restrained world Gracie has come from.
I was surprised by
How long it takes for the Players to actually appear!
The blurb makes them sound as though they're going to be at the heart of the book from the beginning, but there's quite a lot of story before they arrive. And actually, I think that works.
By the time they turn up, we've had plenty of time to understand Gracie's old life, her new home and why their arrival matters so much to her.
I also found myself wishing the book had a little more room at the end. It doesn't so much feel as though Gracie's story is finished as though we've reached the end of this particular part of it.
And I'm choosing to take that as an invitation rather than a complaint.
Because I would very happily spend more time with Gracie and Aunt Peg, and I'd love to see what happens next — particularly if, as I hope, this becomes another series.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you enjoy historical fiction for younger readers that is rich in research but focused firmly on character and story, Gracie is a lovely choice.
If you haven't read Judi Curtin before, Alice and Megan is a good place to start if you'd like to see another of her young heroines navigating friendship and changing circumstances.
For something completely different but with the same sense of young people being swept into an unexpected adventure, try The Railway Children by E. Nesbit.
MUSIC PAIRING
“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” — The Beatles
The theatrical arrival of the Players calls for something wonderfully colourful and slightly chaotic.
And really, once you've got silk, satin, feathers and a travelling theatre, you need a bit of circus.
VIBE CHECK
Colour palette: Peat brown, cream and faded green giving way to jewel-bright reds, blues and golds
Soundtrack: A crowded house, village voices, footsteps on wooden floors and the sudden bustle of a theatre company arriving
Season: Late summer turning into autumn
Mood: Gentle, curious and slightly lonely, becoming bright and exhilarating
Scent: Peat smoke in a crowded cottage; furniture polish in an empty house
Texture: Rough wool, polished wood, silk, satin and feathers
TAROT CARD PULLED
Page of Pentacles
The Pages are learners, and the Page of Pentacles feels particularly right for Gracie because so much of her story is about entering a new world and paying attention to it.
She's moved from one life into another and has to work out how everything fits together. She's curious about what she sees, receptive to new experiences, and gradually discovers possibilities she hadn't known were there.
There's something very grounded about this Page, too. This isn't a story about a heroine sweeping dramatically into adventure. It's about a twelve-year-old girl observing the world around her and slowly discovering where she might fit in it.
And then the Players arrive and make the world considerably more colourful.
✦ THE TRUE QUESTION ✦
How do you find your place when everything around you has changed?
Gracie is a warm, beautifully researched historical story about a girl finding herself in an unfamiliar world — and discovering that an unexpected change of circumstances might also bring unexpected possibilities.
I very much hope this is the beginning of more stories about Gracie and Aunt Peg. I'm not quite ready to leave them yet.
Gracie publishes on 28 September 2026. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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