Gooney Bird Greene knows exactly where she likes to be: right smack in the middle of everything. Sure enough, her colourful fashion sense, exuberant personality, and absolutely true stories land her at the centre of attention most of the time, but as Mrs. Pidgeon’s second grade class prepares for their Thanksgiving pageant, the lead role of Squanto is still up for grabs. And so is the role of Room Mother, but with each of the children’s parents already overloaded, there are no volunteers to bring cupcakes to their play. So Gooney Bird promises to find one-in exchange for the lead. There’s just one catch: the person she convinces to be Room Mother insists on remaining incognito. As the class struggles to decorate the mural, make costumes, and learn their songs for the play, the suspense builds: will the pageant be a success? And who is their mysterious Room Mother? Two-time Newbery Award winning author Lois Lowry has once again captured the eager energy of an elementary school classroom and the hilarious antics and anecdotes of its students, especially those of the irrepressible Gooney Bird Greene herself. In her second literary appearance, Gooney Bird is back with more absolutely true stories to tell, more tips for her fellow aspiring storytellers, and a few challenging vocabulary words to share, too. AGES: 6-9 AUTHOR: Lois Lowry is the author of more than thirty books for young adults, including the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader’s Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, ‘Number the Stars’ and ‘The Giver’. Her first novel, ‘A Summer to Die’, was awarded the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award. To learn more about Lois Lowry, see her website at www.loislowry.com. ILLUSTRATOR: Middy Thomas is a native Mainer. She loves all forms of art and works in all mediums, from painting to printing to sculpture.