Give Maggie a chance / by Frieda Wishinsky ; illustrated by Dean Griffiths.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Blue Spruce Award nominee
Chocolate Lily Awards nominee
Resource Links "Best of 2002"
Tiny Torgi nominee
Now that she can read, Maggie is eager to show her new teacher. But when Maggie is called to the front of the class, her knees shake like jelly, her mouth dries up like a desert, and she can't utter a sound. She's forced to sit down while snooty Kimberly takes over and reads with ease. And the next day is no better. When called on, a miserable Maggie silently prays for the floor to swallow her whole or a rocket to blast her into space. And Sneering old Kimberly, who coolly remarks that she's been reading since she was a baby, triumphs again.
All poor Maggie can do is hold back the tears while she imagines all manner of uncomfortable fates to befall her stuck-up rival. It isn't until Kimberly picks on the stuttering Sam that Maggie is able to forget her own fears. And indignant and determined, she summons up the courage to defend her pal and show everyone what she can really do.
The author of No Frogs for Dinner and So Long, Stinky Queen , Frieda Wishinsky addresses an all-too-common fear that primary students face, and gives it a delightful twist that will have early readers howling and turning the pages to find out what happens next.
Artist Dean Griffiths ( Ballerinas Don't Wear Glasses, Fairy ) creates, in his feline subjects, a heart melting, all-too-human quality that readers will love. A must-have for all intrepid heroes in the making.