Deborah Hopkinson is the author of numerous award-winning children's books, including Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, winner of the International Literacy Association Award; Girl Wonder, winner of the Great Lakes Book Award; and Apples to Oregon, a Junior Library Guild Selection. She received the 2003 Washington State Book Award for Under the Quilt of Night. She lives in Oregon. Visit her online at DeborahHopkinson.com.

When Marcia's mother decides to hire a mother's helper, Marcia is offended because she felt she had tried to help. But when Fannie Farmer steps into their kitchen, the biscuits are suddenly dainty, the griddle cakes are not mushy, and Marcia has a new friend who teaches her the importance of precise measurements in cooking. Full-color illustrations.