If you asked nine year old Dezti Snearts about fourth grade, she would have told you it was the most frustrating, unfair, and stressful time of her life. The reason… Damian Witherspoon Prezby! Prez was the most popular, best dressed, tallest, strongest, funniest, richest, loudest, and absolutely the meanest, rudest, most disruptive kid in school. To say Damian was a bully gives bullies a bad name. The Prezby philosophy was pretty clear: Always WIN! And, DESTROY anyone who dares to oppose you. The day Deztinee Snearts declared her candidacy to oppose Damian Prezby for school president, she rocketed to the top of Damian’s To Destroy List. Prez immediately targeted Deztinee with blame and innuendo, rumors and lies. He lured away some of her friends with promises to do them special favors. He scared off others with ominous threats. Cast out, Dezti takes refuge in the library to avoid sitting by herself at lunch or playing alone at recess. Mrs. Frank, a wise and unorthodox substitute librarian, refuses to coddle Deztinee or directly answer her endless questions about the unfairness of life. Instead, Mrs. Frank points Dezti toward a different path. On that path she discovers a mysterious muse and a world of books… with answers to her questions. The library becomes an all you can eat buffet for Deztinee’s insatiable curiosity. In resistance to Prez’s unbounded rule over her classmates, Deztinee transforms herself from a fragile, little girl into a champion for civility, social justice, and TRUTH. If you ask thirty year old Deztinee Snearts about fourth grade, she’d tell you it was the year that shaped her destiny. The reason… Damian Witherspoon Prezby. If not for him knocking her down, she may never have begun her CURIOUS RISE. This is the seventh book S F Hochman has dreamed up for kids with kids. THE CURIOUS RISE started by brainstorming with enthusiastic and imaginative fourth graders to pay tribute to the first librarian at Parkway Elementary School. It didn’t take long for the book to take on a life of its own. It grew from a typical fourth grade level book to a chapter book to a… well, let’s just say a lot happens over the course of nearly 300 pages that span a tumultuous 4th grade year and beyond!