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A Is for Elizabeth #1
A Is for Elizabeth
Elizabeth is in second grade. Class 2B! It's great! Friends, recess, homework!
Even a big project: Make a poster of your name.
Yayyy!
Hang on.
The name Elizabeth has a bajillion letters in it!
The name Anna has only four letters. Plus, Anna's first letter is A, which is also the first letter of Alphabetical Order. But Anna can't always be first! That's not fair!
In A is for Elizabeth, Elizabeth makes more than a poster. She also makes some important choices—about fairness, rules, speaking up, and glue. But the most important thing she makes is...a friend!
A new spin off from Vail's Justin Case series starring Justin's little sister.
Even a big project: Make a poster of your name.
Yayyy!
Hang on.
The name Elizabeth has a bajillion letters in it!
The name Anna has only four letters. Plus, Anna's first letter is A, which is also the first letter of Alphabetical Order. But Anna can't always be first! That's not fair!
In A is for Elizabeth, Elizabeth makes more than a poster. She also makes some important choices—about fairness, rules, speaking up, and glue. But the most important thing she makes is...a friend!
A new spin off from Vail's Justin Case series starring Justin's little sister.
128 pages, Hardcover
Published May 7, 2019
4 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Vail
56 books456 followersBirth
I was born on July 25, 1966, in NEW YORK CITY, and grew up in New Rochelle, NY, with my mother, my father, and my younger brother Jon. (And down the street from my future husband, though of course I didn't know that until much later.)
Interests
Some details, I do know-I was very into reading and theater, so I read every book I could get my hands on (especially realistic fiction, either contemporary or historical) and took acting workshops and auditioned for every play in school, camp, or the community. I played Peter Pan, Miss Hannigan in Annie, Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls, the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, and lots of extremely memorable chorus parts-for instance, I was "girl number two" in Fiddler on the Roof-the one who said "We heard about your sister, Chava". I didn't care -I just wanted to be on stage. Waiting backstage before curtain call, after giving my all in a performance, was the best feeling I knew. In seventh grade I started taking magic lessons, and by eighth grade I was making all my own spending money by performing at kids' birthday parties as a clown named Tallulah. I liked the freedom of wearing all that grease-paint-I could be as wacky and un-cool as I wanted. I tried dance but felt so clumsy. I faked a sprained ankle to get out of the recital. I took voice lessons which made me a little light-headed (and I was afraid of the voice teacher's growling, drooling Doberman) and both saxophone and piano, neither of which I ever practiced. I did well in school but started a lot of my work at the last minute, in a crazy mad dash, so that it was never late but there were usually careless errors or areas I had to fudge. I had this idea that to work hard at something was sort of a negative, an admission that I didn't have natural talent. If I wasn't going to be Mozart and have the music (or dance, or math, or social studies term paper, or whatever) channeled through me from God, then I was just embarrassing myself by all that workmanlike effort. I didn't get over that idea until after college, by the way.
Career Ambitions
I never really planned to be a writer. I planned to be a financial wizard after learning about option-spreading at age 10, then a poet after discovering Shakespeare at 11. After overhearing "the real power is held by the lobbyists" on a class trip to Albany, I planned to become a lobbyist. Secretly, of course I always imagined myself as an actress, but that didn't seem hard or important enough, and also I worried I wasn't naturally gifted enough.
Parents
My parents were always great. I liked to make them proud, and they trusted me and supported my efforts and interests, which was sometimes weirdly tough. There was so little for me to rebel against.
As a Kid
When people ask me what I was as a kid, I always feel like my answer is at best incomplete.What are you like, as a kid? I'm still trying to figure out what I'm like as an adult.
Socially
Well, things went in waves. Sometimes I felt very "in", very aware of and tied in to the whole scene, excited by who liked whom, all the gossip, some of it less than kind. Other times I felt so alone-like there was nobody like me, nobody who liked me, nobody to talk to. And much of the time it was somewhere in between. A best friend when I was lucky, and a few people in each crowd I liked and who liked me. I resisted being classified as a brain or a jock or alternative or popular-too limiting. I would have to shut down too many parts of myself to be just one type.
Adolescence
I went through a very intense stage in middle school (Junior High). I worried about being too ordinary. I also worried about being too weird. I also worried about changing states of matter, my inability to be morally certain, ignorance (my own and world-wide), and making a fool of myself.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/rachel...
I was born on July 25, 1966, in NEW YORK CITY, and grew up in New Rochelle, NY, with my mother, my father, and my younger brother Jon. (And down the street from my future husband, though of course I didn't know that until much later.)
Interests
Some details, I do know-I was very into reading and theater, so I read every book I could get my hands on (especially realistic fiction, either contemporary or historical) and took acting workshops and auditioned for every play in school, camp, or the community. I played Peter Pan, Miss Hannigan in Annie, Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls, the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, and lots of extremely memorable chorus parts-for instance, I was "girl number two" in Fiddler on the Roof-the one who said "We heard about your sister, Chava". I didn't care -I just wanted to be on stage. Waiting backstage before curtain call, after giving my all in a performance, was the best feeling I knew. In seventh grade I started taking magic lessons, and by eighth grade I was making all my own spending money by performing at kids' birthday parties as a clown named Tallulah. I liked the freedom of wearing all that grease-paint-I could be as wacky and un-cool as I wanted. I tried dance but felt so clumsy. I faked a sprained ankle to get out of the recital. I took voice lessons which made me a little light-headed (and I was afraid of the voice teacher's growling, drooling Doberman) and both saxophone and piano, neither of which I ever practiced. I did well in school but started a lot of my work at the last minute, in a crazy mad dash, so that it was never late but there were usually careless errors or areas I had to fudge. I had this idea that to work hard at something was sort of a negative, an admission that I didn't have natural talent. If I wasn't going to be Mozart and have the music (or dance, or math, or social studies term paper, or whatever) channeled through me from God, then I was just embarrassing myself by all that workmanlike effort. I didn't get over that idea until after college, by the way.
Career Ambitions
I never really planned to be a writer. I planned to be a financial wizard after learning about option-spreading at age 10, then a poet after discovering Shakespeare at 11. After overhearing "the real power is held by the lobbyists" on a class trip to Albany, I planned to become a lobbyist. Secretly, of course I always imagined myself as an actress, but that didn't seem hard or important enough, and also I worried I wasn't naturally gifted enough.
Parents
My parents were always great. I liked to make them proud, and they trusted me and supported my efforts and interests, which was sometimes weirdly tough. There was so little for me to rebel against.
As a Kid
When people ask me what I was as a kid, I always feel like my answer is at best incomplete.What are you like, as a kid? I'm still trying to figure out what I'm like as an adult.
Socially
Well, things went in waves. Sometimes I felt very "in", very aware of and tied in to the whole scene, excited by who liked whom, all the gossip, some of it less than kind. Other times I felt so alone-like there was nobody like me, nobody who liked me, nobody to talk to. And much of the time it was somewhere in between. A best friend when I was lucky, and a few people in each crowd I liked and who liked me. I resisted being classified as a brain or a jock or alternative or popular-too limiting. I would have to shut down too many parts of myself to be just one type.
Adolescence
I went through a very intense stage in middle school (Junior High). I worried about being too ordinary. I also worried about being too weird. I also worried about changing states of matter, my inability to be morally certain, ignorance (my own and world-wide), and making a fool of myself.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/rachel...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 27, 2019
@kidlitexchange #partner
I adored this book so much! Such a sweet and hilarious early chapter book. I’m thrilled there will be a series dedicated to the delightful Elizabeth Case!
I adored this book so much! Such a sweet and hilarious early chapter book. I’m thrilled there will be a series dedicated to the delightful Elizabeth Case!
May 13, 2019
Second grader Elizabeth is the younger sister of Justin from Rachel Vail's Justin Case books: School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters (2010), Shells, Smells, and the Horrible Flip-Flops of Doom (2012), and Rules, Tools, and Maybe a Bully (2014). This book, written at the higher end of the beginning chapter book spectrum doesn't deal with anxiety like the original series, but instead focuses on fairness. When Elizabeth is assigned a class project to design a poster bearing her name, she becomes indignant over the fact that her name has so many more letters than the names of most of her classmates. As she puts together her poster (at the last minute), Elizabeth gets a little creative with the spelling, and when she stands up to tell about her project, she sparks a classroom discussion about rules, creativity, and justice.
This book offers a unique school story that many early elementary readers will find relevant to their own classrooms. Like her older brother, Elizabeth is a well developed and relatable protagonist, and the story is a quick read filled with lots of humor. I think this new series will appeal to readers who have enjoyed the Absolutely Alfie books by Sally Warner (which are about the little sister of Ellray Jakes) as well as to fans of Dory Fantasmagory, Stink, and the Lulu series by Hilary McKay.
This book offers a unique school story that many early elementary readers will find relevant to their own classrooms. Like her older brother, Elizabeth is a well developed and relatable protagonist, and the story is a quick read filled with lots of humor. I think this new series will appeal to readers who have enjoyed the Absolutely Alfie books by Sally Warner (which are about the little sister of Ellray Jakes) as well as to fans of Dory Fantasmagory, Stink, and the Lulu series by Hilary McKay.
June 27, 2019
Students with long or exotic names will certainly relate to this book, the start of a new series featuring Elizabeth Case, the younger sister of Justin, featured in the Justin Case series. Second grader Elizabeth enjoys going to school, but she has trouble dealing with Anna, a classmate who gets under her skin for many reasons. When their teacher, Ms. Patel asks her students to create posters of their names to be displayed in alphabetical order later, Elizabeth is determined to outshine Anna. Of course, she counts the letters in their names and knows she will have much more work to do than Anna since her name is so much longer. She envisions a large poster with creative spelling for her name that will enable her poster to go to the first of the line. Her poster turns out to be quite a mess and illegible, but she turns things around when she tells Ms. Patel that doing everything by alphabetical order is not fair. As the students and teacher discuss this, readers will understand the frustration of Zora who always has to go last. The creative solution the students reach is a good one for teachers to consider. The text is relatable and filled with home scenes about craft materials and responsibility that will make adults as well as youngsters smile, and the illustrations capture the characters' personalities. I really love Bucky, Elizabeth's very best friend, who always sticks up for her.
June 6, 2019
Elizabeth is super excited for her big homework assignment. She has to create a poster with her name on it. Until she realizes her name has over a million letters and she will be doing more work than her classmates. To make matters worse, Anna's name begins with an A. That means she always gets to go first for everything. While Elizabeth works on her school project, she learns a few new life lessons along the way.
I was surprised I found this book very funny and entertaining. I like how the author combined a bit of humor while educating young readers about taking turns, being fair, and rules. Little Elizabeth is highly relatable and fun to read about by audiences of all ages.
I was surprised I found this book very funny and entertaining. I like how the author combined a bit of humor while educating young readers about taking turns, being fair, and rules. Little Elizabeth is highly relatable and fun to read about by audiences of all ages.
Read
February 21, 2020This story had lots of potential. Elizabeth is a realistic second-grader in her view of school, her stream-of-consciousness thinking and how she takes things literally. Her enthusiasm for having her first homework was sweet. That her dad went running out the night before a project to buy her supplies? Not so much.
May 16, 2019
It's difficult for Elizabeth, the younger sister of Justin from the Justin Case series. This is a breezy story about trying extra hard to succeed, as the younger sister to Justin, who shockingly appears very self confident when dealing with his little sister and her obstacles. This will be perfect for little sisters who know just how Elizabeth feels, when her friends prove a challenge.
August 12, 2019
Approved by my almost seven-year-old. The chapters are very short, so it was kinda fun to read 25 of them before bedtime! I like that it was such a simple story, but Vail managed to make a relatively small thing in second grade feel meaningful. Because in second grade, the relatively small things are totally meaningful.
January 18, 2020
For what this is, it's perfect. It is the perfect early chapter book to give to a kid who's ready for that next little step up. It's funny, it's got character (and wonderful characters), and it's got a plot everyone can get behind. Elizabeth feels like a real kid, wrapped up in her own mind, with strengths and weaknesses and kids will relate.
Utterly charming.
Utterly charming.
June 10, 2020
Obviously I am biased towards this book, and I appreciated Elizabeth's tips for spelling my name better. Of course it needs more !!!! explanation points, and some AA's at the beginning to push us up in alphabetical order.
It's aimed at a easier 2nd grade level, with short chapters and a lot of pictures, and a cosy tone.
It's aimed at a easier 2nd grade level, with short chapters and a lot of pictures, and a cosy tone.
November 12, 2025
Reading for the school library. Very young book that is easy to read and get through. I think it would be important to talk to the young person reading this about some of the unkind things that our main character thinks. I would want to discuss the danger of thinking rude things and how easy that could turn into saying rude things. I did like the end and how it was wrapped up.
June 28, 2019
This is the beginning of a companion series to the Justin Case series, which we loved so much last year, aimed at slightly younger listeners. Sweetly told, entertaining in a Ramona sort of way, but also thoughtful and sometimes thought-provoking. Enjoyable and worthwhile.
December 27, 2019
Rachel Vail gets inside kids' heads and writes what is going on in there just perfectly! I loved this fun book with its super short chapters, funny story and absolutely authentic voice. I have a grandson that could be best friends with Elizabeth because they think exactly alike ;-)
February 5, 2020
A humorous story from 2nd grader Elizabeth's point of view. The class needs to make name posters to alphabetize, but Elizabeth wants to be first in the order. Her funny voice reads just like an actual second grader. Fans of Junie B. Jones will line up for this one.
September 24, 2020
An early chapter book series about a second grader who is upset because her name doesn't start with an A so she sets out to change the spelling of her name and thus how everything in her class is done alphabetically. Loved the protest and the class spirit in the end.
September 28, 2020
This is a FUN read for kids and parents. Elizabeth has such strong voice and wit, it's entertaining to see her character development. Chapters are various lengths, illustrations are funny, it's a book that left my kids asking if there were more books by this author. Always a good sign! :)
August 13, 2019
Adorable! Fun! This book will have its reader smiling from beginning to end.
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September 6, 2019Fiction V128a 2019
September 26, 2019
Very cute 2nd grade chapter book. I got a little confused from speed reading, but find the quirky character to be charming.
October 28, 2019
Would be a great read aloud for a young classroom (first grade perhaps?) I think kids would relate to Elizabeth.
November 25, 2019
Not gonna lie, Elizabeth was a complete twerp for like 60% of the book. But it ended really really well.
January 7, 2020
Funny and entertaining, appealing characters, short chapters. Delightful!
August 2, 2020
Lots of fun. Like a slightly less fantastic Dory Fantasmagory. Set in second grade and centered around an alphabetized display of name
posters.
posters.
August 18, 2020
The first in the currently 4-volume series is a cute intro to the imaginative, outspoken, and creative Elizabeth, a 2nd grader who loves school.
February 3, 2021
A perfect early chapter book for kids moving out of beginning readers. Laugh out loud funny with believable characters and situations.
March 18, 2022
Elizabeth is a fun, quirky character in the style of Junie B. Jones. I laughed out loud several times during this quick read!
July 2, 2023
If this story was told from Ms. Patel's perspective, the title would be "Why There's a Teacher Shortage"
May 11, 2024
Super cute and funny!
October 19, 2025
🥰🥰 Like all of Rachel Vail’s work, I loved this.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews