Characters in books often become our friends. Their stories are like letters or e-mails from loved ones who live far away. We look forward to hearing about their newest adventures.

We laugh, cry and celebrate with our paper-and-ink friends. And we wait enthusiastically (sometimes impatiently) for the next installment.

Series books are especially fun to read because the connections we make with the characters can be ongoing.

Do you remember your best friends from third grade? Perhaps Ramona Quimby, Pippi Longstocking, Judy Moody or Amber Brown were on the list.

If any of these girls was among your favorites, you have to meet the new 8-year-old girl on the bookshelf, Grace Stewart.

At school Grace has the nickname "Just Grace." Her unusual nickname was caused by a miscommunication on the first day of school. When Miss Lois, Grace's teacher, asked each of the four Graces in her class to choose a nickname so she could get the correct girl's attention when she called on them, Grace Stewart asked to be called just "Grace."

However, Miss Lois wrote down "Just Grace," and Grace -- despite her attempts to change her nickname -- has been called that ever since. Nevertheless, she is anything but just another girl named Grace.

Grace's stories are expertly written in a realistic and easy-to-read first-person narrative by Charise Mericle Harper. Harper perfectly captures the voice and language of a spunky 8-year-old girl.

Whether reading Grace's stories on your own or sharing them as a read-aloud, the "Just Grace" series will introduce you to a friend who will have you laughing, wincing and cheering her on as she tries to navigate the trials and adventures of third grade.

Grace's narrative is frequently accompanied by drawings, comics and occasionally photographs that illustrate her points and add to the charm of her character. These casual illustrations, drawn by Harper, add to the humor and may make you feel as though you're passing notes with a good friend.

Harper's first book, "Just Grace" (Houghton Mifflin, $15, ages 6-10), was published in 2007. In it Grace finds her own super power -- empathy.

As she uses her empathy powers, Grace learns a difficult lesson. Having empathy is easier than knowing what to do to make someone feel better. Nevertheless, her empathy powers and photography skills help her neighbor, who is worried about her missing cat, Crinkles.

In her second book, "Still Just Grace" (Houghton Mifflin, $15, ages 6-10), Grace continues to exercise her super empathy powers as she works on a school project with Grace W. and Grace F. -- aka the Big Meanie -- and deals with her best friend Mimi's new friend Max.

As they collaborate, Grace realizes that empathy is also about communication, and she comes up with a school project that helps everyone use powers of empathy, even Grace F.

Grace will tackle one of her hardest problems yet in "Just Grace Walks the Dog" (Houghton Mifflin, $15, ages 6-10), her third book, coming out this month. Grace will need all of her friends, super empathy powers and artistic abilities to prove to her parents that she is responsible enough to have a dog.

She is certain that her parents are like M&Ms and beneath their hard dog-hating exteriors are gooey dog-loving centers. However, Grace quickly realizes that she will have to do a lot of planning to break through her parents' hard shells.

Grace would certainly agree that meeting friends is what life is all about, especially if you have super empathy powers. So why not test your super empathy powers and make a new book pal at your local library or bookstore?