1. The New Girl Written and illustrated by Lydia Mack

2. Dedication ~ To my mom, who loves to read my books.

3. She was shy. She was friendly. She was quiet.

4. A new girl came to our class today. She was short and skinny, and very, very shy. Our teacher, Mrs. Cassandra, showed the girl to her seat, right next to mine.

5. So, Mrs. Cassandra told me to show her around the school, and I said okay. Later, she told me her name was Allison.

6. She hung around me, and I was okay with that.

7. Allison read all the time at recess. I asked her if she did any sports, but she said, “No, I like to read.”

8. Everyone in the class stared her down, though. “She isn’t really all that bad,” I said.

9. She joined a reading club, which got her a lot more friends. Allison hung around everyone, and everyone thought she was friendly. Over the year, everyone started to like Allison and she finally came out of her shell of shyness.

10. Allison had lots of friends throughout the years, and I always remained one. Six school years later, when we were in 10 th grade, Allison’s mom got a job in New Mexico. She was sad to leave us, so we threw her a going-away party. We still e-mail and call each other. I hear she got a job babysitting!

11. Reflection Writing this story was great because of the time period. I came up with the idea because “Pink and Say” by Patricia Polacco is a story about two different people becoming friends, and that is what The New Girl is mostly about. I’ve really grown as a writer. My stories have become better than when I first started. I know what sounds good or bad. My family loves to read my stories; I can tell they really enjoy them. Enrichment writing has helped me, because I love writing and could use some help. I wrote this story because some people can become close, even if they are nothing alike. That is great because if everyone was alike, life would not be the same.

12. About the Author Lydia Mack is a reader and writer. She lives in Caledonia, New York with her mom, dad, and brother. Lydia likes soccer, reading and writing. She hopes to continue growing as a writer.