The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class: Olive Little Gets Crafty

By: Linda Urban, Kat Fajardo, Kate Messner - introduction

Narrated by: Kate Coventry

Meet the kids in Mrs. Z’s wacky and wonderful third-grade class! Olive Little thinks a crafting club would be the perfect way to connect with her classmates—but when her club plans keep falling short, can she still find a way to make a place for herself in Mrs. Z's class?
 
Olive Little loves making things ... but she’s still working out how to make friends. After she spies some other kids checking out crafting books from the school library, Olive gets a brilliant idea: She’ll start a crafting club!

With a super-extraordinarily crafty invitation, everyone will surely want to join Olive's new club. And she knows just the invitation to make. All she needs is a perfect poem, some colorful confetti, a dozen eggshells, and some crafty know-how. Easy peasy!

Until Olive discovers a local skunk has made its home in her family’s backyard henhouse! Can she craft a solution to the stinky situation in time to save her club?

Both sweetly poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, with black-and-white illustrations by Pura Belpré Honor artist Kat Fajardo, Olive’s story invites readers into Mrs. Z’s class where friendship and fun rule the school, from acclaimed author Linda Urban.
 
Perfect for!
★ My Weirdtastic School fans
★ Reluctant readers
★ Classroom read-alouds
★ Andrew Clements fans
★ Young artists
★ Crafting enthusiasts
 
Read them all! The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class have plenty of stories to share!
Emma McKenna, Full out (#1)
Rohan Murthy Has a Plan (#2)
Poppy Song Bakes a Way (#3)
The Legend of Memo Castillo (#4)
Wyatt Hill Brings a Lizard to School (#5)
Ayana Ndoum Takes the Stage (#6)
Synclaire Fields Knows the Score (#8)
Theo Chang is Not a Cat (#9) — available for preorder now!
Thunder Nelson Does the Impossumble (#10) — available for preorder now!
Sebastian Metzger Solves a Sticky Situation (#11) — available for preorder now!
Fia Hosein Finds Her Beat (#12) — available for preorder now!

*The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class is an innovative series where every book is written by a different all-star author and features a different kid in the same third-grade class. They can be read in any order!

Critic reviews

Praise for the Kids in Mrs. Z's Class Series

"Uplifting and encouraging."—Kirkus Reviews

"Believable characters experiencing age-appropriate challenges: making new friends, navigating social groups, overcoming shyness, and dealing with embarrassment. . . Share with fans of Annie Barrows' Ivy and Bean books or Sara Pennypacker's Clementine series."—Booklist

“Buy the book and the series. Kids need access to this diverse classroom of students who face everyday crises with their supportive friends, and this gentle read shows the goodness in the world without being overly sappy.”—SLJ

“[A] wholesome read…buoyant."—Publishers Weekly

"This new series is giving [Polk Street School] vibes. I absolutely love that each book is written by a different author and I love how diverse the classroom is. . . The great thing about [these] books is they showcase kids working together and supporting each other."—Teen Librarian Toolbox