School Days: Olivia and the Best Teacher Ever by Ilanit Oliver

"GOOD MORNING, CLASS!" SAID MRS. HOGGENMULLER. "I WOULD LIKE YOU TO WELCOME SOMEONE WHO IS JOINING OUR US FOR THE DAY."

EVERYONE LOOKED UP, EAGER TO MEET THEIR MYSTERY GUEST.

"THIS IS MRS. STERN," MRS. HOGGENMULLER SAID.

"I'M PICKING THE BEST TEACHER TO WIN THE CITY'S BEST TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD," ANNOUNCED MRS. STERN SERIOUSLY.

That gets the class's attention. Everyone thinks Mrs. H. is the best teacher ever, and they resolve to be the best class ever--at least for the day. As the excited class learns, the winning teacher gets his or her picture on the side of every school bus in town!

But Mrs. Stern's evaluation visit doesn't go as smoothly as the kids hope. Mrs. Hoggenmuller's story puts the evaluator in a snooze, and during art, as Olivia makes a reflexive move to keep Daisy from spraying paint on the visitor, she knocks the terrarium over, releasing the class's pet frog, Hopper, who finds refuge from the clamor on top of Mrs. Stern's head. Mrs. Stern is now wide awake, but not pleased.

Mrs. Hoggenmuller can forget about the Best Teacher Award for this year! Her picture is NOT going to be plastered on the sides of buses if Mrs. Stern has anything to say about it!

Olivia racks her brain. What can the class do to make it up to the hard-working and deserving Mrs. Hoggenmuller?

Ian Falconer's famous pig-girl with attitude comes through again with a winning idea in OLIVIA and the Best Teacher Ever, (Simon Spotlight, 2012), adapted by Shane L. Johnson and Ilanit Oliver. Back-to-school time wouldn't be the same without the ever-clever Olivia and her lively classmates and and of course the ever-ready Mrs. Hoggenmuller.