Written by Elizabeth Spurr,
Illustrated by Blanche Sims
Jacket Design by Mina Greenstein
Aladdin
ISBN: 0-689-71430-0 Paperback
Ages 4-8 - 32 pages

Monday through Thursday the Cherry Tree Cul-de-Sac carpool was as boring as any other ride to school. Always some mother complaining and fussing.

But Fridays, ah, Fridays. For a little while, they were different. Because that was the day Mrs. Minetta drove. Fridays with Mrs. Minetta were always sunny. Her dog could howl to country western songs on the car radio. She could blow red stop lights green, and teach you to do it, too. But that was only the beginning. For when Mrs. Minetta shifted gears in a strange, zooming way and pulled the steering wheel toward her, the car would tilt up, and a real adventure would begin.

Fridays with Mrs. Minetta never involved school. They were wonderful, glorious, special Fridays, not meant to last. Yet Fridays everyone should have a chance to enjoy sometime, if only in a book.

BLANCHE SIMS was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Her first jobs were in a few studios in Cleveland. Later she moved to New York where she worked at Famous Artists Schools as an instructor for a Young People's Art course. Later she worked at Xerox in Middletown, Connecticut, in the Art Department for nine and a half years. She is now a free lance artist.

Reviews:
Booklist
"The story has an appealing sense of fun and lots of verve...."
School Library Journal
"Spurr has taken the mundane reality of suburbia and crafted a well-written story sure to tickle and amuse."
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Written in a light, bland style, this is Ultimate Read-aloud Escapism."
Philadelphia Inquire"...close to perfection.
Sunday Press, Atlantic City, New J ersey
"...(an) imaginative gem."
The Times, Tigard, Oregon
"Kids will love the personal style of the story and they'll relish the idea of a secret between the narrator and themselves."