Illustrated by Amy Portnoy
Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2010
Winner Washington State Children’s Book Award
Jr. Library Guild Selection
Ages: 8-12 

Everybody wants to be in Ms. Plum’s class. It’s not just that she teaches the usual things in unusual ways. There’s something more, something about Ms. Plum herself—and her mysterious supply closet. Whenever she asks her students to get her an eraser or a pencil or some paper clips, they come back with something . . . unusual. Who’d have thought a miniature alligator, a big-mouth parrot, or a tiny wolf could teach kids a thing or two about life?