The School Story

Natalie Nelson was a writer, a real writer. Yes, she was also a young student, but who's to say that only adults can publish their stories? Not Zoe, her best friend-turned-literary agent, that's for sure. Zoe was no writer, but she was a talker, and a planner. After Zoe read Natalie's latest manuscript, called The School Story, and was blown away by its quality, the two girls hatched an incredible plan to get it published. These smart, brave girls enlisted the help of a kind English teacher, a lawyer father, a post office box, fake phone message company, pen names, and all types of various tricks and schemes, all to try to get Natalie's story published.

Why did the girls go to all this work when Mrs. Nelson already happened to be an editor for a children's book company? There's a good answer, but you'll have to read the book to find out. Did their scheme work? Was Zoe's help enough to get the book published? Can kids really pull this kind of thing off? Read the book.

Andrew Clements always does a great job of describing his characters, making them likeable and realistic, and this book is no exception. This story is an exciting realistic adventure about kids who believe they can do great things, and who aren't afraid to try. Along the way, the book provides some very interesting insight about what really happens behind the scenes of the book publishing industry.