Ann Estelle gets chosen for Stage Manager in the school play -- and only her irrepressible energy and cheer can overcome flubbed lines and forgotten props to make sure the show goes on! Kindergarten-Grade 2–Ann Estelle is hoping for the part of the Queen in the class play. After all, "She already had a long red velvet robe and a glittery golden crown, just in case something like this ever came up." Instead, her teacher makes her the stage manager because she is so "clever and responsible." Ann Estelle pushes aside her disappointment and rescues the actors during the performance as they forget their lines, misplace their props, etc. The writing is stilted, and efforts to provide emphasis by putting certain words or phrases into a fancier font only highlight the stiffness of the rest of the text. Ann Estelle herself is as two dimensional as the paper dolls included at the back of the book, and the relentless brightness of the colors in the artwork is as tedious as the story. For a fresher take on class dramatics, look to Alexander Stadler's Beverly Billingsley Takes a Bow (Harcourt, 2003) or Cari Best's Shrinking Violet (Farrar, 2001). –Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. “Disappointment is majestically turned into exuberance as this protagonist puts her best effort into everything she does.” (Kirkus Reviews) Mary Engelbreit grew up studying the illustrations in the vintage storybooks of her mother's own childhood, and she developed a unique style that harkens back to those simpler times. She chose to illustrate Clement C. Moore's The Night Before Christmas as her first book for children. It quickly hit the New York Times bestseller list and has become part of the holiday tradition for families across the country. Other treasured additions to a child's first bookshelf include Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose , Mary Engelbreit's A Merry Little Christmas —both New York Times bestsellers—along with Mary Engelbreit's Nursery Tales and Mary Engelbreit's Fairy Tales .