The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class: Emma McKenna, Full Out

by Kate Messner, Kat Fajardo (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

An exciting new series where multiple fan-favorite authors create characters in the same shared universe, Emma McKenna, Full Out comes from the mind of Kate Messner and details Emma's first days at a new school and the tumultuous emotional roller coaster that comes with it.

Meet the kids in Mrs. Z’s wacky and wonderful third-grade class! Cheerleader Emma McKenna is thrilled for the first day of school… until her frenemy shows up and all of Emma’s plans for a social do-over take a tumble!

Emma McKenna can’t wait for third grade at the brand-new Curiosity Academy. She’ll have a cool teacher who wears high-tops and science earrings. She’ll meet interesting classmates from all over Peppermint Falls. Best of all, she’ll get a fresh start after last year’s talent-show disaster left her with that awful nickname. It’s going to be the best year ever!

Then Lucy walks into Mrs. Z’s room.
Lucy, Emma’s best-friend-turned-enemy.
Lucy, who gave Emma that nickname and spread it all over school!
Emma’s fresh start is doomed . . . unless she can make friends before Lucy ruins everything.

So Emma sets out to be pals with everyone, just like her favorite animal, the capybara. As her classmates argue over the choice of a new school mascot, Emma stays quiet and doesn’t pick sides. (The last thing she needs is another enemy.) But maybe speaking up could be the thing that helps her really connect with her class—and saves her at last from third-grade doom.

Both sweetly poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, with black-and-white illustrations by Pura Belpré Honor artist Kat Fajardo, Emma McKenna welcomes readers into Mrs. Z’s class where friendship and fun rule the school in this series-starter from New York Times bestselling author Kate Messner.
 
Perfect for!
★ My Weirdtastic School fans
★ Reluctant readers
★ Classroom read-alouds
★ Andrew Clements fans
★ Cheerleaders
★ Anyone who has a frenemy
 
 
Read them all! The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class have plenty of stories to share!
Emma McKenna, Full Out (#1)
Rohan Murthy Has a Plan (#2)
Poppy Song Bakes a Way (#3)
The Legend of Memo Castillo (#4) 
Wyatt Hill Brings a Lizard to School (#5) 
Ayana Ndoum Takes the Stage (#6) 
Olive Little Gets Crafty (#7)
Synclaire Fields Knows the Score (#8)
Theo Chang is Not a Cat (#9) — available for preorder now!
Thunder Nelson Does the Impossumble (#10) — available for preorder now!
Sebastian Metzger Solves a Sticky Situation (#11) — available for preorder now!
Fia Hosein Finds Her Beat (#12) — available for preorder now!
 
*The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class is an innovative series where every book is written by a different all-star author and features a different kid in the same third-grade class. They can be read in any order!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781523525720
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/30/2024
Series:	The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class , #1
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Kate Messner is passionately curious and writes books for kids who wonder, too. Her award-winning titles include picture books like Once Upon a Book, Over and Under the Snow, and The Scariest Kitten in the World; middle-grade novels like All the Answers and Breakout; the Fergus and Zeke easy reader series; the Ranger in Time chapter book adventures; and the History Smashers illustrated nonfiction series. A former middle-school Language Arts teacher, she splits her time between New York's Champlain Valley and Florida's Gulf Coast. She invites you to visit her online at katemessner.com and find her on social media at @katemessner.

Kat Fajardo (they/she) received a Pura Belpré Honor for Illustration for their first graphic novel, Miss Quinces (published in Spanish as Srta. Quinces). Born and raised in New York City, Kat now lives in Austin, Texas, with their pups, Mac and Roni. They invite you to visit them at katfajardo.com.

Read an Excerpt

After the Morning Scribble, everyone got to share One Interesting Thing about themselves.

Fia had just moved to Peppermint Falls from Trinidad.

Steven helped his grandmother care for injured animals.

Mars wanted to be a makeup artist for scary movies when he grew up, and Ruthie wanted to be a Broadway star.

Emma didn’t know what she wanted to be. Was she supposed to know that?

Poppy spoke Cantonese.

Adam spoke Urdu and Arabic.

Carlota volunteered at a center to help new immigrants.

Emma stared down at her skirt. Was cheerleading interesting? Maybe not.

She had twin sisters. That was kind of interesting.

She had a pet bulldog so old he had to go for walks in a baby stroller. That was interesting, but Emma couldn’t share it. Not without reminding Lucy of the nickname.

 “I…uh…like cheerleading,” Emma said when it was her turn.

Mrs. Z. nodded and smiled. Then she moved on to Thunder, who told the class that she knew how to speak hamster and was teaching her dog English using buttons with words on them.

There was no doubt about it. Emma was the Least Interesting Person in Mrs. Z’s class. No one would want to be friends with her. Third grade was doomed.

“Doomed” was a good word. When you used it, grownups always said you were exaggerating, but Emma wasn’t. She knew doom when she saw it coming.

Editorial Reviews

"A gentle back-to-school tale sure to resonate with youngsters confronting their own friendship woes."—Kirkus Reviews

“[A] wholesome read…A buoyant series opener with an engaging premise.” —Publishers Weekly—Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Kids in Mrs. Z's Class Series
 
“Buy the book and the series. Kids need access to this diverse classroom of students who face everyday crises with their supportive friends, and this gentle read shows the goodness in the world without being overly sappy.” —SLJ

"Believable characters experiencing age-appropriate challenges: making new friends, navigating social groups, overcoming shyness, and dealing with embarrassment. . . Share with fans of Annie Barrows' Ivy and Bean books or Sara Pennypacker's Clementine series." —Booklist

"This new series is giving [Polk Street School] vibes. I absolutely love that each book is written by a different author and I love how diverse the classroom is. . . The great thing about [these] books is they showcase kids working together and supporting each other." —Teen Librarian Toolbox

From the Publisher

2024-04-05
A new school and an old embarrassment threaten Emma’s third grade year.

Emma is excited to start at the brand-new Curiosity Academy, but of the 18 kids in Mrs. Z’s class, one turns out to be her former BFF, Lucy. What if everyone learns about the humiliating nickname Lucy saddled her with last year? Emma doesn’t seem to notice that Lucy is avoiding her and not having a great time herself. As her peers introduce themselves, Emma becomes convinced that she’s the Least Interesting Person in class. Her plan to become more popular goes awry, and her hopes of learning to play the flute in music class are dashed. Still, the perceptive Mrs. Z finds a way to help Emma shine, and when the students start debating what the school’s new mascot should be, Emma hits upon the perfect idea: the capybara, a creature that gets along with everyone—just as Emma hopes to. Impulsive but kind Emma’s troubles are relatable, while brown-skinned Mrs. Z feels like a hip reincarnation of Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus books. When it comes to Emma and Lucy’s relationship, however, this engaging, low-key tale feels a bit unresolved, in part because of the series’ premise. Each title follows a different student and is written by a different author; readers will eventually learn Lucy’s full story. In Fajardo's cartoon artwork, Emma and Lucy present white; the class is diverse. Final art not seen.

A gentle back-to-school tale sure to resonate with youngsters confronting their own friendship woes. (Chapter book. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews