Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Back to School, Mallory
Illustrator: Tamara Schmitz
Fiction Series
For ages 7 to 9
Lerner, 2005 ISBN: 978-1575058658
Mallory McDonald is going to be starting third grade this fall. If things were as they should be, Mallory would be going into Mrs. Thompson’s class with her best friend Mary Ann. Instead, Mallory is going to a new school with kids she does not know. Worse still, Mallory’s mother is going to be the new music teacher at Mallory’s school. Mallory just knows that this is going to be a terrible thing.
Sure enough, the beginning of Mallory’s third grade experience is just about as bad as it can get. Mallory doesn’t make any friends, her new teacher is nothing like Mrs. Thompson, and Mallory’s mother is a deep source of embarrassment. She has decided that the third grade class is going to do a show called Fall Festival, and the theme is going to be Down on the Farm. Mallory cannot believe her mother chose such a “babyish” theme. Though Mallory hates the idea of the Fall Festival, the rest of her classmates really get interested in it. Is she the only person on the planet who sees how terrible the show is going to be?
Adjusting to change is often very hard for children. In this amusing and at the same time sensitive book, a young girl tries to come to terms with many changes in her life. As she struggles, she makes some important discoveries about herself and about the people around her.
This is one of the titles in the popular Mallory series.