Penny Draws a School Play

by Sara Shepard Narrated by Cassandra Morris

Overview

The second book in the humorous, heartfelt series about a girl who doodles to cope with her anxiety, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sara Shepard.

Halfway through the fifth grade, Penny Lowry is discovering that things are actually going . . . okay! With her friends Maria, Kristian, and Rocco on her side, and her lovable dog Cosmo, she can make it through anything. And when her anxiety comes back, there's always her doodling, or talking to Mrs. Hines, the Feelings Teacher. But big change is around the corner: Penny's family is moving to a new house, her mom is about to give birth to twins, and most stressful of all, she's been tapped for a role in her class play! 

Rolling with life's surprises isn't Penny's strength. But she's learning . . . one doodle at a time!

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for Penny Draws a School Play:

"Readers will feel seen and validated . . . A helpful story about a young anxiety sufferer navigating the unexpected.” —Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

2023-07-13
Journal entries addressed to her dog, Cosmo, continue to help Penny navigate life’s more difficult situations.

Though things have been going OK for a while, Penny knows she needs to start writing letters to her dog again when her classmate Luke’s folded-paper fortuneteller predicts “unexpected surprises” are coming her way. The first surprise turns out to be that everyone will be required to participate in the fifth grade class play. As if that isn’t enough, next her parents suddenly announce they’re moving to a new house. This second series entry further explores Penny’s changing friendship with ex-bestie Violet. She also attempts to forge a friendship between two people she likes very much who unfortunately dislike each other. Navigating these uncomfortable changes and social situations requires Penny to step outside her comfort zone and lean on her coping mechanisms to deal with her anxiety. Discussions with her Feelings Teacher offer more useful strategies for young people with anxiety. Although Penny’s new friend group is supportive, readers will squirm with vicarious embarrassment from some of the situations she finds herself in. Parts of the narrative would have benefited from tightening, but many readers will feel seen and validated. The interspersed comics are a highlight, carrying surprising emotional weight and humor given their simplicity. Penny and her family read white.

A helpful story about a young anxiety sufferer navigating the unexpected. (Fiction. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940178323335
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Series:	Penny Draws , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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