MARTY MCGUIRE

When the teacher announces that the third-grade class will present its own version of "The Frog Prince," little does anyone know how true those words will turn out to be. Marty McGuire is disgruntled with third grade. She has lost her best friend to her nemesis, the overbearing and princess-like Veronica Grace. Now Marty has no one to share her naturalist interests with. To top it all off, Marty’s been awarded an unexpected key role in the play. Cassandra Morris narrates with all the exasperation, pluck, and (eventually) pride of a third-grader. Morris uses tone and speed variations to render a totally believable and amusing Marty as she handles the tribulations of daily school routines. Characterizations of Marty’s classroom compatriots are distinctive as well. A.R. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2012]