Gr. 4-6. Laney Grafton is at the bottom of the fourth-grade pecking order until 300-pound Lara joins the class. But when the teasing and practical jokes land on Lara, she turns the other cheek with a smile and rhymed couplets, reaching out to other students with an uncanny knowledge of their names, talents, and concerns. Laney narrates the story of Lara's arrival and survival. Along the way, readers learn of Laney's concerns and her troubled home life. The unusual device of using the narrator to talk about elements of writing (minor characters, conflict, transitions) as she "writes" the story may have a pedagogical purpose, but it has its drawbacks in a children's book. It not only slows the pace but also draws attention to the fact (easily ignored in a conventional first-person narrative) that the book was not actually written by a child. Still, Mackall does pull off some touching moments and offers food for thought and discussion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)
