Tally Tuttle Turns into a Turtle

by Kathryn Holmes

Published 16 September 2021

The start of a humorous and heartfelt new chapter book series about a second grade class where each kid turns into an animal for a day

It's Tally Tuttle's first day of second grade, and she's so nervous that she feels like she ate butterflies for breakfast! On top of moving to a new town and new school where she doesn't know anyone, everyone starts teasing her when her full name, Tallulah, is revealed during roll call. She just wishes she could retreat into a shell . . . Then, all of a sudden, the desks and her classmates around her seem enormous, and Tally is shell-shocked to discover that she's actually turned into a turtle! She'd heard that Mrs. Norrell's class was special, but she hadn't expected this. Tally likes having a shell to hide in, but there are other parts of turtle life--like the fear of being stepped on--that aren't exactly ideal. And once she's tired of hiding, how can she change back into a girl? Tally will have to forge her own transformation back to herself and come out of her shell--both literally and figuratively!

In this new chapter book series, Mrs. Norrell's second grade classroom has magic that allows kids to transform into animals to learn important life lessons. Each book will follow a different kid and their animal transformation, and will include fun natural science facts about the featured animal in the back matter.


The second book in a humorous and heartfelt new chapter book series about a second-grade class where each kid turns into an animal for a dayWhen Mrs. Norrell invites her students to bring something they love from home for show and tell, David Dixon sneaks in his new dachshund puppy, Bandit. But during the presentation, the puppy escapes. By the time David rushes into the hallway, his mischievous puppy has vanished. Mrs. Norrell launches a formal search, but David is an “act first, worry about the consequences later” kind of kid. Without stopping to think or tell anyone what he’s doing, David races off into the school building by himself to find Bandit. As he runs away from Mrs. Norrell’s classroom, David turns into a dachshund!At first, he’s delighted by the transformation and even tracks down Bandit. He and Bandit are able to do whatever they want as dogs—eat the day’s lunch, jump in the suds-filled sink, and run around on the playground. But he doesn’t want to be a dog forever!In this new chapter book series, Mrs. Norrell’s second-grade classroom has magic that allows kids to transform into animals to learn important life lessons. Each book will follow a different kid and their animal transformation, and will include fun natural science facts about the featured animal in the back matter.

The third book in a humorous and heartfelt chapter book series about a second grade class where each kid turns into an animal for a dayMadison tries her best to spread joy and be helpful, even when people like her Great-Aunt Joelle seem to think that she can't do or say anything right. Still, she goes into Mrs. Norrell's class with her head held high, ready to brainstorm ideas for her group project on activism. But after her Great-Aunt Joelle shoots down her ideas, she starts to wonder if maybe she isn't really cut out to be a leader or change-maker. Then, something strange happens: Madison turns into a mouse!Her voice is high-pitched and squeaky, her heart beats furiously in her body, and she's so so small. Luckily, one of her kindhearted classmates, Tally Tuttle, helps to get her to safety so no one squishes her by accident. Will Madison be able to navigate her own insecurities and the unexpected dangers of being a mouse—and turn back into herself before the end of the day? Or will she be stuck eating cheese and hiding from cats for the rest of her life? In this new chapter book series, Mrs. Norrell’s second grade classroom has magic that allows kids to transform into animals to learn important life lessons. Each book follows a different kid and their animal transformation and includes fun natural science facts about the featured animal in the back matter.