Book excerpt: This book is about a fifth grade boy who is new to school and is nervous about starting fifth grade. His name is John and he is feeling anxious and frightened at his new school, until one students makes John feel accepted by her kindness and generosity. Sometimes all we need is a friend to help guide us in the right direction. I came up with the idea for this book when I was reading Christmas stories to my kids one night before they went to bed. I thought to myself, I am a fifth grade teacher and I could write a book to help kids feel more accepted and safe in a new situation. To keep this book more personal to me, I asked my friend and the art teacher at my school, Abe Lee to illustrate the book. It was fun and entertaining to work with Abe on this book.