Congratulations, Miss Malarkey!

Something strange is going on with Miss Malarkey: she's giggling in the halls and singing to herself at school. The students in her class speculate on her malfunction—maybe she's “going to be in a movie” or “going to become an astronaut and fly to Mars”—but when she begins teaching a unit on various marriage customs, her students start to guess it's something a little closer to home. O'Malley's artwork is plenty expressive, and those with a favorite teacher should be able to relate to the students' concerns, despite the book's predictable outcome. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)