Barbara Pollak – illustratör

Mallory McDonald has her eye on the perfect purse, but it’s too expensive and Mallory’s mom is not buying! So Mallory comes up with the perfect plan to get the perfect purse. She’ll just start a business! Yet starting a business isn’t as easy as it seems. Mallory finally earns enough to buy what she wants. But if her business is such as success, why does Mallory feel like such a failure?

Valentine''s Day is approaching and everyone seems to be crazed with love—except for Mallory. She''s been invited to a Valentine''s party next door and rumor has it that her next-door neighbor''s dad is going to propose to her best friend''s mom. What will it mean if her two best friends become brother and sister? Where will she fit in? And to make matters even more confusing, Mallory is receiving presents from a secret admirer. Who could it be? Mallory feels like everything is changing and she has lots of questions about life, love, and friendship. Since her two best friends are preoccupied, Mallory turns to her diary to find the answers.

Bon Voyage! Mallory and her family and friends are setting sail on a cruise. But poor Mallory feels like she''s sunk and she hasn''t even set sail yet. Her two best friends'' parents are getting married and even though Mallory is trying her best to be happy for Mary Ann and Joey, she can''t help feeling left out. Can Mallory find a way to be happy for her friends and not feel like a third wheel?

Everyone seems to know what they want to be for Career Day at school—that is, everyone except Mallory. She can’t seem to find anything she’s good at. When she finally decides to be a fashion designer, some of her classmates laugh at her. And then, before she can stop it, out pops a lie—Mallory tells everyone that she’s won the Fashion Fran fashion design contest. Mallory’s lie grows and grows until she must face the truth and make amends with her class, friends, teachers, and parents.