about the book
All the world’s a stage—and acting is the most important part of survival for opossums! That is the lesson Mama teaches while she prepares her babies for the world. Antonio, Abdul, Ajax, Alisa, Alberta, Allan, Angie, Alejandro, Alphonse, Atticus, Amlet, Augusta, and the teeniest possum, Appleblossom, all have a thing or two to learn before they go off to lead their solitary lives in the wild.
Mama makes sure all the babies know how to play dead—or “play ‘possum.” She also explains the dangers of the many “monsters” of the world—including humans, “hairies” (dogs), and “metal monsters” (cars). All her babies are warned to stay away from these scary beasts. When Mama finally feels like her babies are ready, she leaves them alone to fend for themselves in the big, wide world.
Poor little Appleblossom isn’t quite sure she is ready for such a big change, though, and luckily, her brothers Antonio and Amlet feel the same way! The three possums band together, but one day Appleblossom’s curiosity gets the better of her. While sneaking around on a rooftop, she peers down the chimney and accidentally tumbles down the sooty chute. Greeted by a dangerous, barking “hairy” called Columbo, Appleblossom finds herself saved from his sniffing by a different tiny monster—a human girl.
As the little girl welcomes Appleblossom into her cozy home, Antonio and Amlet are plotting ways to get their baby sister out of the house. In the end, Appleblossom will have to decide where she belongs—will she choose her family, or her new friends?
about the author
Holly Goldberg Sloan has had an enigmatic life. She was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but most of her childhood was spent moving around with her hippie parents.
Her father was a professor and her mother was an architect, and their jobs took them to California, Washington D.C., the Netherlands, Istanbul, and Oregon, to name a few of the places where she lived.
Holly went to college at Wellesley in Massachusetts. After graduating she got a job in New York, but she spent as much time as she could writing (even at work when no one was looking). By the time she was 25 she had moved to Los Angeles and sold her first screenplay. Some of the movies she has done are “Angels in the Outfield,” “Made in America,” and “The Crocodile Hunter Movie” with the late Steve Irwin.
In 1982 she married Chuck Sloan. Together they have two sons, and though their marriage ended after ten years, she and Chuck are still friends. Now Holly lives in Santa Monica, California, with her new husband Gary Rosen, a writer as well.
The most rewarding thing Holly has done was to complete her first book, I’ll Be There. Aside from writing, Holly loves to cook, watch sports, spend evenings with her family and friends, and walk along the nearby Pacific beach.
Sources:
Author website
Author interview : Penguin Teen
Author interview: Books for Keeps
Also by Holly Goldberg Sloan:
Short. Dial. 2017.
Counting by 7s. Dial. 2013.
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