#2 Back to School, Mallory

Summer is over and that can only mean one thing for eight-year-old Mallory McDonald (like the restaurant, but no relation)--she has to go back to school. But not just any school, a new school with all new kids in it. To make matters worse, her mom is going, too She's the new music teacher, and Mallory can't think of anything that could possibly be worse--until her first day. She has to sit with Pamela, who always says the right thing and steals her ideas. Joey is so busy with his old friends that he has no time for her, and to top it off, she's picked to be an eggplant in the Fall Festival her mom is putting on. It's not fair What can Mallory do? Should she give Pamela, and her new school, another chance?

About the Author
Friedman, Laurie: - Laurie Friedman is the author of the popular Mallory series, The Mostly Miserable Life of April Sinclair series, and many award-winning picture books. She lives in Florida.Schmitz, Tamara: - As an illustrator, Tamara Schmitz is well known to the many elementary-grade fans of Laurie Friedman's Mallory chapter books. Tamara grew up one of six children in the small town of Carey, Ohio. She graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design, and spent her early career as an art director in advertising, teaching art, and illustrating greeting cards. Schmitz addresses a topic close to her own heart in her original self-illustrated picture book Standing on My Own Two Feet: A Child's Affirmation of Love in the Midst of Divorce. Sitting at her desk for too many hours, however, drives Tamara crazy. So in her free time she works on getting her third degree black belt in Taekwondo. Tamara resides in Cincinnati with her husband, two children, and stepson.