THE KIDS IN MRS. Z'S CLASS

Newly enrolled at Curiosity Academy, a craft-loving third grader goes in search of artistic inspiration—and friendship.

Pale-skinned, freckled Olive Little felt like an outsider at her old school, but she’s sure things will be different this year. When she decides to make a spiffy new case for her recorder, other students are interested, and an idea for a school club is born: the Cool Recorder Case Club! Olive knows it’s a surefire way to endear herself to her new classmates, but challenges soon mount. Olive’s reluctant to run her idea past the bossy fifth grader in charge of Club Day. Plus, she’s also got to balance her plans with her domestic responsibilities, including caring for her family’s chickens and minding her preschool-age cousin, Peter. Olive puts pressure on herself to succeed, but the adults in her life—among them her mother and grandmother—and her classmates offer support and understanding. Mutual help is a big theme throughout this empathetic tale, the latest in a series in which each installment is penned by a different author and focuses on a different student in Mrs. Z’s class. Punctuated by Olive’s frequent exclamation of “WHAMMO!,” Urban’s third-person narration captures the protagonist’s exuberance and sunny attitude even in the face of setbacks that include a skunk that finds its way into the chicken coop. Fajardo’s expressive black-and-white cartoons depict a diverse community.

Another feel-good tale in an empathetic, child-friendly series.