Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great

Libby starts to get excited about Jennifer having puppies, although the vet says she won’t have them until September when the Tubmans are back home. The day camp announces auditions for their upcoming production of Peter Pan, and Libby sets her heart on playing Wendy. Sheila says Libby’s voice is terrible, and she and Mouse decide to paint scenery instead of auditioning. To Libby’s horror, she gets the role of Captain Hook, and she cries for days because she “[doesn’t] want to play the part of some disgusting old man!” (88). Libby looks at herself in the mirror and calls herself ugly, and she tells Sheila she’s ugly too because they look alike. Their mother explains that Libby is making excuses and feeling ugly because she didn’t get something she wanted, and that real beauty comes from the inside. Libby decides to learn all the parts in the play so she can step in and play Wendy if need be.

During the play, Sheila and Mouse stand on the stage to hold up one of the set pieces so it doesn’t fall over, and the girl playing Wendy—Maryann Markman—gets stage fright and sings so quietly no one can hear her.