Billy Miller’s little sister, Sal, gets her day and her own book in this delightful stand-alone companion to the Billy Miller novels. At four, Sal is adjusting to a new baby sister, just over a week old and as yet unnamed; her visiting uncle, who sometimes teases; and the loss of part of her favorite Christmas present: the pair of her day-of-the-week underpants embroidered with a poppy flower and the word “Poppy” (the Wednesday pair). Set over a single day during the winter holidays, this story is beautifully grounded in Sal’s perspective. Her hunt for the underpants, and her surprising discovery of where they are, leads to her longing to share the news with Mama or Papa only—not Billy or Uncle Jack, who might tease her. But with a new baby around, it’s hard to get time alone with them, especially Mama. With the dough for their homemade-pizza dinner taking forever to rise, Sal decides to write a letter to Mama while she waits. “This was going to be harder than Sal had thought. She knew the alphabet. She could spell her own name. She could spell Mama and Papa … But she didn’t know how to spell certain words that would be important for her letter.” Entertaining, insightful, and full of vivid emotions, delightful surprises, and honest family dynamics, this perfect read-aloud story will also enchant young independent readers.  (Ages 4-8)