Every eleven-year-old girl dreams of growing up and becoming a star. Lorelei Connelly is no different. A practical-minded young lady, she has visions of fame and fortune as a Broadway actress, a chef, or even a famous author. In order to capture her rise to stardom, she has decided to document every step of the way in a diary written to her beloved deceased cat named Mud.

The Connelly family is quirky, but that's no surprise. No family is ever perfect. While Lorelei struggles with bothersome boys and gregarious girlfriends, her parents discover some marital troubles that need immediate fixing. As for her siblings, her older brother Teddy chooses to ignore the obvious while little baby brother, Ryan, hides in a world of his own. Thank goodness for her diary and her precious, yet faraway, Mud as Lorelei tries to cope with the pressure of a once idyllic world coming to an abrupt halt.

With the school play on the horizon, Lorelei pushes her family's turmoil aside as she prepares for her most important role to date. If only her mother weren't pressuring her to try-out for the role she herself once played. Luckily for everyone, things have a way of falling into place. And along the way, she befriends some unexpected characters who teach her the importance of being proud of oneself and more importantly, for standing up for what is right.

As the family she once knew turns the page to its next chapter, Lorelei begins to appreciate each member's uniqueness as they take baby steps towards becoming once again whole. With Mud by her proverbial side, her confidence soars as she embarks on the next phase of her lifelong journey to happiness.

I, LORELEI is a delightful pre-teen book written by the Emmy award-winning actress Yeardley Smith. Best-known as the voice of Lisa on the hit television show The Simpsons, she hits the mark with her witty, yet sensitive narrative of a sharp, young girl facing the everyday drama of growing up.