Author Description

Ryan Hart can be and do anything. Ryan's name means "king," that she is a leader, and she is determined to keep growing into the name her parents gave her. She is all about trying to see the best in people, to be a good daughter, sister, and friend. But Ryan has a lot of her mind. For instance: Dad finally has a new job, though money is still tight. That means moving into a new (old) house, and Dad working the night shift. And with the fourth-grade talent show coming up, Ryan wonders what talent she can perform on stage in front of everyone without freezing. As even more changes and challenges come her way, Ryan always finds a way forward and shows she is a girl who knows how to glow. In this first book in a series, Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award winner Renée Watson writes her own version of Ramona Quimby, starring Ryan Hart--a girl who is pure spirit and sunshine. --