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 underhanded: 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.