Sweet Valley Kids #7: Jessica's Big Mistake

I don't know if you know this or not, but Elizabeth Wakefield wants to be a writer someday. That's why she's so excited when she learns that her teacher arranged for author Angela Daley to stop by their class for a talk. Even though she will later talk only about Amanda Howard, Daley is right now her favorite writer ever.

Their teacher, Mrs. Becker, also announces that the writer will personally autograph a copy of her latest book for each student in her class. She'll pick someone to help pass out the books later, which is some kind of huge honor. All the kids go a little overboard to prove that she should pick them. Both Jessica and Carolina keep fighting over helping their teacher, and Winston makes some weird bookshelf thing out of cardboard boxes as a present for the writer.

Acting on Amy's advice, Elizabeth decides to write a story and give it to their teacher. She tries a few different ideas before finding one she likes. After copying it on new paper to make it look better, she tosses the old draft in the trash. Thinking that her twin threw it away because she didn't like it, Jessica digs it out of the trash, writes it over again in her own handwriting, and hands it into the teacher.

The night before the author's visit, Jessica and Elizabeth talk about it while trying to fall asleep. Jess learns that Liz also turned in the story and feels bad enough that she admits what she did the next day. Mrs. Becker forgives her and gives her the copy back, but then Liz finds the story and almost cries until her twin apologizes.

Angela Daley shows up, reads from her latest book, and then reads a very special story about two twin otter cubs that Liz wrote. When she asks someone to help her hand out books, the class unanimously picks Liz. Jess decides that if she can't be the helper, she can at least be first in line. Mrs. Becker then announces an upcoming field trip to the zoo, which I totally already wrote about. LOL

*Daley writes books about animals who act like humans like hedgehogs taking a bus, which sound pretty cute for kids in second grade.

*It's pretty nice of this famous author to take time out of her busy schedule just to read to a second grade class and then give them free copies of her newest book before it even comes out.

*And in case you were wondering, no, their teacher did not know her. Mrs. Becker literally wrote her a letter and got a response a few weeks later.

*Lila keeps bragging about how her dad knows the writer and how she can meet her anytime she wants. She tells them how the author is a glamorous woman who always wears fancy jewelry. Mrs. Daley is actually older, a little frumpy, and wears no jewelry.