Penny Draws

Nobody said starting fifth grade would be easy, and Penny Lowry's anxiety means a million questions are always spinning through her thoughts. Luckily she's got a lot to look forward to, like her favorite after-school activity, Art Club, and seeing her best friend Violet again after spending the whole summer apart. The thing is, Violet has been acting weird ever since she got back. She never wants to hang out anymore, says Art Club is for babies, and spends all her time with Riley, the meanest girl in school. Did Penny do something wrong? And if she did, can she undo it?

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!

Little by little, Penny Lowry is making it through the fifth grade—with a bit of help from her friends Maria, Kristian, and Rocco, as well as her lovable dog Cosmo. And there's a lot of change to deal with this year! Penny's newborn twin brother and sister have everyone in her family on their last nerve with their crying. Her friends Maria and Chloe are spending a lot of time together without inviting Penny along, making her worry they might be getting tired of her. And on top of everything, Penny and her friends discover a very old map in her attic that sends them on a wild scavenger hunt.

When fifth grader Penny Lowry and her classmates get invited to go to New York City for a weekend hosted by Billy J. Plumberry, the famous author her school is named for, Penny finds a lot to worry about. After all, isn't the city full of aggressive bike messengers ready to run kids over? And what if she gets stuck in an elevator for life? Not to mention all the pianos falling out of windows everywhere! On the other hand, what if it might actually be fun to explore an exciting new place with some of her best friends?

When fifth grader Penny Lowry's school announces an upcoming charity pickleball tournament, she doesn't know what to think. On the one hand, all her friends are joining the team and she doesn't want to feel left out. But on the other hand, Penny's never been particularly athletic. What if it turns out she's terrible at pickleball? What if she lets her teammates down? Things get even more stressful when a local news channel announces they'll be covering the tournament, giving Penny something new to worry about: what if she embarrasses herself on live TV?

When fifth grader Penny Lowry and her friends learn they will be attending an after-school etiquette class, it brings up a whole new wave of worries for Penny: who knew there were so many ways to make a bed improperly? Or to pass the bread the wrong way at dinner? Yikes! Even worse, in a lesson on how to write thank-you cards, Penny receives an anonymous note from someone who clearly has a crush on her! Penny isn’t ready to have a crush on anyone AT ALL. But should she be?