Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A world-class charmer, Clements (The Janitor?s Boy, 2000, etc.) woos aspiring young authors?as well as grown up publishers, editors, agents, parents, teachers, and even reviewers?with this tongue-in-cheek tale of a 12-year-old novelist?s triumphant debut. Sparked by a chance comment of her mother?s, a harried assistant editor for a (surely fictional) children?s imprint, Natalie draws on deep reserves of feeling and writing talent to create a moving story about a troubled schoolgirl and her father. First, it moves her pushy friend Zoe, who decides that it has to be published; then it moves a timorous, second-year English teacher into helping Zoe set up a virtual literary agency; then, submitted pseudonymously, it moves Natalie?s unsuspecting mother into peddling it to her waspish editor-in-chief. Depicting the world of children?s publishing as a delicious mix of idealism and office politics, Clements squires the manuscript past slush pile and contract, the editing process, and initial buzz (?The Cheater grabs hold of your heart and never lets go,? gushes Kirkus). Finally, in a tearful, joyous scene?carefully staged by Zoe, who turns out to be perfect agent material: cunning, loyal, devious, manipulative, utterly shameless?at the publication party, Natalie?s identity is revealed as news cameras roll. Selznick?s gnomic, realistic portraits at once reflect the tale?s droll undertone and deftly capture each character?s distinct personality. Terrific for flourishing school writing projects, this is practical as well as poignant. Indeed, it ?grabs hold of yourheart and never lets go.? (Fiction. 10-12)

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Natalie writes a whole book and gets it published under the eye of her unsuspecting mother, a children's book editor, who only knows that she has an exciting manuscript from an unknown author. Family read-aloud and publishing comedy are two genres you don't often see brought together, but that's exactly what Clements has done here. The occasional pencil illustrations are warm and witty. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.