The School Story

At the beach, Andrew Clements' The School Story (illustrated by Brian Selznick) was next in the pile. Set in the Upper Eastside of Manhattan, the story features the determination of Natalie Nelson, 12-year-old novelist, and her best friend Zoe Riesman, Natalie's literary agent. With the somewhat reluctant help of their advisory, Ms. Clayton, the girls create a nom de plume for Natalie, set up an office for Zoe and sell the story to Natalie's mom's publishing house. While the author asks the reader to take some large leaps of faith, kids will undoubtedly cheer along with Natalie and Zoe as they achieve their very grown-up goal.