Standing Out! Geraldine by Elizabeth Lilly

"I AM NOT MOVING!"

"GERALDINE," SAYS MOM. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT BEING A DRAMA QUEEN?"

Geraldine is a drama queen, but this time she has good reason. In her old school, where everyone was a giraffe, she didn't exactly stand out in the crowd. But when Dad takes her to her new school, she's the only one who is DIFFERENT--in a great big way!

"Here, I feel like That Giraffe Girl."

Suddenly, Geraldine has become an introvert. Even her voice is tiny and timid.

At lunch time, Geraldine takes to hiding, or trying to hide, behind a tree, but her long neck seems to have no place to go. Then she notices she's not the only one lunching alone.

"I bet you've heard of me," the solitary girl says.

"I'm that girl who wears glasses and likes MATH and likes to organize her food."

Cassie and Geraldine hit it off and soon learn that they have a lot in common. Cassie is a bit different, but she's fun and does a fabulous handstand! Cassie discovers that Geraldine is more than just different, too. She's quite the dancer and a naturally dramatic actress.

And soon, bolstered by their friendship, Geraldine drags Cassie to brave the bunch at the lunch table.

"Cassie can stay in a handstand for 167 seconds," Geraldine announces.

Melinda Bucket is very impressed.

And Geraldine cracks up the whole lunch bunch with her outstanding imitation of the Queen of England, and soon nobody calls her Giraffe Girl anymore.

Geraldine knows that she will always stand out in a crowd in Elizabeth Lilly's Geraldine (Roaring Book Press, 2018) and that's a good thing. Author Elizabeth Lilly' portrayal of Geraldine lets her stand tall and be herself among her new friends, and Lilly's artwork make the most of the possibilities of that long, long neck, as Geraldine dries her eyes on the flag at the top of the flagpole. dunks the basketball on the playground, and is a natural starring as the tallest tree in the school play. Author Lilly's debut is a lighthearted look at being yourself and going with what you've got in a gentle but genuinely funny story about accepting differences. Says Kirkus in their starred review,"Lilly's bright, classic watercolors, brimming with whimsy and charm, create an immersive world of details big and small. Readers will fall in love with Geraldine in this stellar debut."