Edwina Victorious

A successful letter-writing campaign, with just a touch of deception.

When Edwina's great-grandaunt and namesake decides to move to a nursing home, Edwina is recruited by her mom to help clean out her aunt's attic. There she discovers a cache of letters from Aunt Edwina, who had been an activist, to various public officials, all requesting improvements in public locations around town. Then Edwina notices a local playground in sorry disrepair and decides to do some letter-writing of her own. She types up her plea, copies her aunt's signature, and mails it to the mayor. Edwina doesnt feel she's being completely after all, she is signing her own name, even if the handwriting is forged. And when the mayor responds with fast action -- he hopes for a political contribution from Aunt Edwina -- Edwina begins writing more letters. But it is only a matter of time before she must reveal her true identity, both to the mayor and to her great-grandaunt. Susan Bonners's black-and-white pictures offset a charming story of a regular girl who finds a way to make a difference in her community.