Lucy and her classmates have never thought of themselves as writers until Ms. Mirabel comes to their fourth grade class as a guest teacher. A famous author, Ms. Mirabel has some unconventional teaching methods, but she quickly wins the children's hearts. They look forward to seeing her eccentric wardrobe. They question her mysterious comments. Most importantly, however, they work through their personal concerns by writing about their feelings. Little by little, Russell accepts the death of his dog, May learns to love her adopted baby brother, and Lucy overcomes her fears about her mother's cancer. Their friendships grow as they confide their problems to each other. Beginning readers will enjoy this touching and positive story written by the author of Sarah, Plain and Tall.

Jennifer Minicus lives in Ridgewood, NJ.  Her love for the formation of young people inspired her interest in children's literature.