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class in turn.
    “I’d like you to think of some questions to askher,” Mr. Mason told the class. “It’s not every day that we get to talk to a real, live author.” He had put some of Mary Thompson’s books out on display.
    Charles could hardly wait until it was his turn to share news. “Guess what came to stay with us this weekend?” he asked when Mr. Mason called on him. He pointed to the copy of
So Many Puppies
Mr. Mason had put out. “Puppies! And they look just like those.”
    He fumbled in his backpack and pulled out the sign Lizzie and Maria had made. “See?” he asked, passing it around. Everybody said, “Awww!” when they saw the puppies. Charles told about how the puppies had ended up at their house, and what their names and personalities were.
    “Are they going to live with you forever?” Mr. Mason asked.
    Charles shook his head. “No,” he said sadly. “I wish we could keep one. But we’re just fostering them. They all need good homes.”
    All morning, Charles kept glancing at the cover of
So Many Puppies.
He couldn’t wait to hear Mary Thompson read it out loud. Finally, after lunch, it was his class’s turn to go down to the library.
    Mom was right: Mary Thompson didn’t act like a famous person. She was short and round and cozy-looking, with gray hair and a bright red scarf around her neck. She sat on the floor and invited everybody to sit in a circle with her. Then she read two of her books out loud, showing the pictures and stopping to ask questions like, “Does anybody here have a younger brother or sister?” and “What kind of animal do you think Susie saw?”
    Charles was sort of disappointed that she didn’t read
So Many Puppies.
But he liked the books she did read.
    Then it was question time.
    “Where do you get your ideas?” asked Simon.
    “How many books have you written?” asked Lucy.
    “Do you draw the pictures in your books?” asked Robert.
    “Do you like dinosaurs?” asked Sammy.
    Mary Thompson answered all the questions. Then Mrs. Devine, the librarian, said there was only time for one more. Charles raised his hand and Mary Thompson called on him.
    “Which book of yours is your favorite?” asked Charles. “My favorite is
So Many Puppies.”
He was dying to tell Mary Thompson about Cocoa, Cinnamon, and Buddy, but he knew there wasn’t time.
    “Oh, I love that one, too,” said Mary Thompson. “I adore puppies, even though I haven’t had one for many, many years. But I wrote that book a long time ago! Usually whatever book I’m working on right now is my favorite.”
    The bell rang just then, and Mr. Mason told the class to thank Mary Thompson. Then it was time to go.
    Charles waited until everybody else had left,then he went up to Mary Thompson. Just like Lizzie, he’d had an idea. He was almost too shy to ask, but the author seemed so nice. What did he have to lose?
    He stood there for a minute, not sure what to say. Mary Thompson smiled at him and raised her eyebrows, like she was waiting for Charles to speak.
    Charles smiled shyly back at her. “Would you like to come to a party?” he asked.

CHAPTER NINE
    “Welcome to our party!” Lizzie said to a woman with a little boy.
    Lizzie was greeting people at the bookstore door. “Would you like a balloon?” She handed the boy a red balloon with a picture of a dog on it. “There’s cookies and punch in the children’s section, and later on Mary Thompson will be reading and signing her books.”
    Lizzie’s great idea had come to life! Three weeks’ worth of planning had paid off. It was obvious already that the Lucky Dog party was going to be an event to remember.
    Everybody had helped with the planning. Ms. Dobbins and Julie from the shelter, Dr. Gibson,Jerry Small, and even Mary Thompson had been meeting at the Peterson house. They had worked out every detail of the party. Lizzie couldn’t believe Charles had gotten the author to help out! Having Mary Thompson at the party was going to