The School Story
Encyclopedia
The School Story is a children's novel by Andrew Clements
, published in 2001. It is about two twelve-year-old girls who try to get a school story
published.
called The Cheater. It is uncommon for someone her age to get published, but Natalie's best friend, Zoe Reisman, thinks The Cheater is good enough. Natalie wants her mother, who works as an editor
at Shipley Junior Books, to edit her manuscript, but she doesn't want her mother to find out that she wrote it. To accomplish this, Natalie uses the pseudonym
Cassandra Day, and Zoe acts as her literary agent
, fabricating the "Sherry Clutch Literary Agency" and renting a cheap office. The girls realize that they could use some adult help, and enlist Ms. Clayton, a teacher at their school. Later, when they are offered a publishing contract
, they show it to Zoe's father, who is a lawyer.
At the end of the story, Natalie's mom and Zoe arrange a publication party for The Cheater. At the party, Natalie finally tells her mom that she is Cassandra Day. It is hinted that Natalie will write more.
Andrew Clements
Andrew Clements is an American author of children's books. Clements grew up in Camden, New Jersey and Springfield, Illinois, United States,. As a child, he enjoyed summers at a lakeside cabin in Maine where he spent his days swimming and fishing and his evenings reading books...
, published in 2001. It is about two twelve-year-old girls who try to get a school story
School story
The school story is a fiction genre centering on older pre-adolescent and adolescent school life, at its most popular in the first half of the twentieth century. While examples do exist in other countries, it is most commonly set in English boarding schools and mostly written in girls and boys sub...
published.
Plot summary
As the novel begins, twelve-year-old Natalie Nelson is almost done writing a novelNovel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
called The Cheater. It is uncommon for someone her age to get published, but Natalie's best friend, Zoe Reisman, thinks The Cheater is good enough. Natalie wants her mother, who works as an editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
at Shipley Junior Books, to edit her manuscript, but she doesn't want her mother to find out that she wrote it. To accomplish this, Natalie uses the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Cassandra Day, and Zoe acts as her literary agent
Literary agent
A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers and film producers and assists in the sale and deal negotiation of the same. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwriters and major non-fiction writers...
, fabricating the "Sherry Clutch Literary Agency" and renting a cheap office. The girls realize that they could use some adult help, and enlist Ms. Clayton, a teacher at their school. Later, when they are offered a publishing contract
Publishing contract
A publishing contract is a legal contract between a publisher and a writer or author , to publish written material by the writer or author...
, they show it to Zoe's father, who is a lawyer.
At the end of the story, Natalie's mom and Zoe arrange a publication party for The Cheater. At the party, Natalie finally tells her mom that she is Cassandra Day. It is hinted that Natalie will write more.