greta brown

There are no fairy tale endings in middle school.

Greta Starr has one dream: to be a famous reporter. Unfortunately she’s been assigned to write for the paper’s most boring beat, and she feels stuck. Then, on her twelfth birthday, Greta receives a mysterious cuckoo clock with a wooden dancer named Lulu inside. Every hour, the doll twirls in time with the music--until one night she comes to life. Lulu is infused with magic and mischief. With Lulu’s sly encouragement, Greta engineers a feel-good story to report, setting in motion a series of remarkable, if deceitful, happy endings at school that help Greta gain popularity. But when the truth threatens Greta’s friendships, she is confronted with very real consequences that Lulu’s magic can’t fix.

This coming-of-age story explores the blurred line between fact and fiction as Greta realizes the key to being a great reporter--and a great friend--is striving for truth, not perfection.

Melissa Dassori is the author of J.R. Silver Writes Her World, which was an Owlcrate Jr. Book Club Selection, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, and a Washington Post Kids Summer Book Club recommendation. Melissa lives in New York City with her husband and three daughters, with whom she especially likes to share books, spend time outside, eat ice cream, and travel. She invites you to visit her at melissadassori.com.