Friedman, Laurie B.

Ten-year-old Mallory's crush on J.T., a boy in her older brother's class, gets her in trouble with her teacher, her family, and her friends but no matter what she does, J.T. does not seem interested in her.

When Mallory gets the lead in the school play, she cannot understand why her best friend Mary Ann is not just as excited as she is, but eventually she finds out--and learns who her real friends are.

Mallory's journal of her fourth-grade trip to Washington D.C. reveals how much fun she has, despite a loose tooth, being upset with her best friend Mary Ann and getting separated from her class in a museum.

The Wish Pond Road gang heads to Camp Blue Lake, but once they are there, Mallory realizes it is not as much fun as she had hoped, and begins to wonder if she made a big mistake in coming.

After moving, eight-year-old Mallory struggles with being new at school, especially because her mother is now the music teacher and director of the third grade play.

"Mallory is excited about the six-week arts electives program at Fern Falls Elementary--until she gets stuck in her last-choice elective, band. To make matters worse, she is assigned to the tuba, and when she plays, it sound more like passing gas than music. She dreads the showcase at the end of the program. But with some good guidance from her mom and her band teacher, Mallory learns the meaning of "practice makes perfect, " and that, in fact, making music can be lots of fun"--Provided by publisher.

When Mallory plans a sleepover to celebrate her tenth birthday, she has a hard time pleasing both her friends and her parents.

When a bad stomachache sends Mallory to the hospital during a winter reunion with neighbor Mary Ann and their summer camp bunkmates, she is sad that her friends seem to be having great fun without her.

Mallory enters fourth grade with high hopes for her best year ever, but instead she starts by breaking the teacher's rules and then feels left out when her best friend likes the same boy she does.

Mallory starts fifth grade and has to adjust to a new teacher, a tough school project, and trouble with her best friend that involves her brother Max.