Every year, Sweet Valley Elementary School puts on a Thanksgiving play. This year, it’s the turn of the first, second and third grades, and Jessica, Elizabeth and their friends are excited that they’ll get to take part. At the park with the other second-graders, Winston declares that he’s going to be the star of the play. Jessica is horrified, because Winston is the class clown, and the play is a serious thing.

Auditions are held, and Jessica does a dance and recites a poem, while Winston does a humorous version of the head Pilgrim’s speech. Elizabeth opts to remain backstage, volunteering to paint the set. When the parts are announced, Jessica is horrified to learn that Winston will be playing the Indian Chief, while she will only be the leader of the Indian dance. (From what you can tell, it sounds like there weren’t any decent female parts anyway, unless you count Amy’s role as a turkey.)

In the lead-up to the play, Winston is unbearable, bossing everyone around and boasting about his starring role. Eventually Jessica snaps, mocking Winston by pretending to act like him in front of the other kids. Elizabeth disapproves, but it’s hard not to side with Jess on this one. Coming from her, pay-back could’ve been a lot worse.

The play goes on and Jessica performs her role perfectly. When it’s Winston’s turn to speak, however, he gets stage fright and freezes, forgetting all his lines. Jessica steps in and saves the day, feeding him lines and improvising where needed. The play is a success and everyone is friends again.

This was a gentle kind of drama after the bullying nastiness of Crybaby Lois. It wasn’t the most exciting book in the series, but it was nice to have Jessica save the day for a change, instead of Elizabeth.