Cast Your Ballot!

It’s election time at Cherry Valley Middle School, and Sam thinks she’s got the scoop on the candidates! But her investigative journalism reveals some surprises…

Cherry Valley Middle School is holding elections for class president—and the choice couldn’t be more obvious to Samantha Martone. John Parker is clearly the better candidate: he’s articulate, handsome, charismatic, and full of great ideas. (Longer lunch hours, less homework, and iPads for the newspaper staff!)

But Mr. Trigg reminds Sam to (1) Do her research and (2) Stay objective. And in the process of practicing good journalism, Sam realizes that while John looks and sounds great, he might not actually be the best pick.

Rachel Wise loves to give advice. When she’s not editing or writing children’s books, which she does full-time at a publisher in New York, she’s reading advice columns in newspapers, magazines, and blogs—and is always sure her advice would be better! Her dream is to someday have her own talk show, where she could share her wisdom with millions of people at once, but for now she’s happy to dole out advice in small portions in Dear Know-It-All books.