Last-But-Not-Least Lola Going Green

Perfect for fans of Beverly Cleary's "Ramona" and Ivy & Bean, here is a laugh-out-loud, heartwarming, and intensely satisfying story about the importance of friendship and creative problem-solving. The first in a series!

Lola Zuckerman hates being last for everything. If only she were Lola Adams or Lola Appleby or anything but Z for Zuckerman. And she is having a particularly hard time right now. Her best friend Amanda Anderson is now her ex-best friend. Her grandparents have moved back to Texas, and her mother is launching a new career. Why is everything always changing? What would make things much, much better is if Lola were to win the Going-Green Contest at school and beat Amanda Anderson, who is determined to win first place too. How can Lola, who is always last, prove that she's not least?★ "In school, when your surname begins with 'Z,' it means being last at everything. . . . But Lola Zuckerman's desire to go to the head of her class is the focus of this winning, environmentally themed book. . . . The characters are fully developed, each with their own delightful quirks. . . . Children will root for Lola as she tries to mend fences, save the planet, and come out on top. The lessons of recycling are creatively explored, showing readers big and small ways to help our planet. Those who have enjoyed 'Clementine' will welcome this contemporary tale as it tackles family, competition, friendship, and the environment. . . . A great choice for early chapter-book readers." —School Library JournalChristine Pakkala grew up in Idaho and studied English and Journalism at the University of Idaho before heading east to attend the Iowa Writers Workshop (MFA, Poetry Writing, 1993). She was a Fulbright Scholar in 1994 in Helsinki, Finland, where she translated modern Finnish poetry. She has taught seventh and ninth grade English at Horace Mann. Last-But-Not-Least-Lola: Going Green is Christine's debut middle-grade novel. She lives in Westport, CT.

Paul Hoppe is a New York-based illustrator, designer, and author who enjoys venturing into a variety of fields. He works in Editorial Illustration, Children's Books, Comics, Advertising, Graphic Design, and in the summers he teaches at the School of Visual Arts. He is the author-illustrator of two picture books and the illustrator for several other picture books and young adult books. His work regularly appears in the New York Times and the New Yorker. Born in Poland and raised in Germany, he lives in Brooklyn, NY.