She loves it and is amazed that a twelve-year-old child wrote it. She agrees become the girls’ adviser.

Natalie is energized by having an adult say her work is good. She works two hours every weeknight and all day Saturday and Sunday to finish her book. Hannah complains about how little time they have to spend together. Natalie is proud of how the ending of her book turns out, but she resists telling Hannah about it. Natalie is not yet ready to explain what she is doing.

As the girls pursue the publishing plan, Ms. Clayton gives them valuable help. She objects when she learns that Zoe wants to use a false name, Sherry Clutch, when she acts as Natalie’s agent. Zoe changes her plan slightly, calling her agency the Sherry Clutch Literary Agency but using a different pronunciation of her own name for her identity. Ms. Clayton also helps the girls open an instant office; she pays three hundred and fifty dollars for a mailing address, phone number, fax number, and answering machine that are registered to the Sherry Clutch Literary Agency. Zoe has the money to pay for this, but Ms. Clayton feels irresponsible using a child’s money this way. She puts the office space on her own credit card and hopes for the best.

When the girls submit Natalie’s book to Hannah, they have a stroke of luck. Hannah’s pushy, stuck-up boss sees the envelope and pretends to know the Sherry Clutch Literary Agency. She orders Natalie’s mom to read the book over the weekend. Natalie is edgy all weekend, and on Sunday her mother mentions that the manuscript is one of the best she has read in a long time. Privately, Hannah wonders if the book will be too painful for Natalie to read. She knows how much Natalie misses her father, and The Cheater features a strong father–daughter relationship.

Soon after, Zoe gets a phone call from Hannah. Natalie is confused when she hears her mother’s message, which says the book is “not perfect” but that its flaws are “manageable.” Zoe is unfazed; she says this is just business. She talks to Hannah and finds out that the book has to go to the editorial committee for approval. Later that day, still unaware that Natalie wrote the book, Hannah tells Natalie that finding new talent is the best part about being an editor.

All is not perfect, however. Hannah’s pushy boss, Letha, wants to edit The Cheater. Natalie is upset because she dislikes Letha and really wants to work with her mother. After seeking advice from Ms. Clayton, Zoe tells Letha that the author, Cassandra Day, refuses to work with any editor except Hannah. Letha gets angry and rejects the book, but Zoe goes behind her back and submits it to Letha’s boss. Like the other editors, he loves the story, and he decides that Cassandra Day should have her way and work with Hannah. Hannah is thrilled, and Natalie is too.

Not long afterward, Zoe and Natalie accept Hannah’s offer of six thousand dollars for Natalie’s book. The contract is long and confusing, and Ms. Clayton knows she cannot advise them about it. The girls are forced to consult Zoe’s father, Robert Reisman, who is a lawyer. When he finds out that Natalie has written a book and that Zoe is acting as her agent, he is impressed. When he learns that they have an office, he is shocked. The girls want to know if they can sign a contract when they are underage. He says it is acceptable as long as they get a parent to sign an affidavit giving them permission. This works fine for Zoe, but Natalie still does not want to tell her mom. Mr. Reisman thinks this over and decides it is okay to hide it for professional reasons—so nobody can claim that Natalie got special treatment. Natalie gets her Uncle Fred to sign the permission affidavit instead of her mother.

Mr. Reisman’s calls Ms. Clayton after the girls leave his office. She is scared because she knows she may have done something improper by secretly helping the girls. She is careful to explain that she did not use Zoe’s money for the instant office space but opened a savings account with it instead. Mr. Reisman asks her to bill him for the office, and then he thanks her for being brave enough to take on a real-world project with her students. He says:

I hope you stay a teacher for a long, long time. Kids need teachers who aren’t afraid of real life, don’t you think?

Not long after the contract is signed, Natalie gets her manuscript back from Hannah. It is covered with sticky notes full of editorial suggestions. Natalie is appalled at how much work will be involved in revising the book. She worries that the book will never be good enough and that people will hate it. Zoe is at first unsympathetic; she feels that her role in the project is finished. But when she realizes how hard Natalie’s job is, Zoe jumps right back into her role as a good friend. Her encouragement helps Natalie get her confidence back.

Over the next month, Natalie and Hannah write letters back and forth as they work on revising the book. Zoe copies Natalie’s letters so Hannah cannot recognize Natalie’s handwriting. Hannah thinks it is a little odd not to talk on the phone or meet with her new author, but she does not press the issue. In the meantime, Natalie learns an enormous amount about writing. After four trips back and forth from author to editor, the book is finished. Soon afterward, Zoe gets two advanced reader copies in the mail. Hannah explains in a letter that these are prepublication copies of the book, which the publisher will send to reviewers for publicity. She says the book is great but that bookstores are not ordering many copies.

Natalie is proud to have a book published, and she thinks little about the fact that it is not getting big orders. Zoe, however, cannot stand the idea that The Cheater might not sell well. She immediately goes to work to get the book some publicity. With Hannah’s help, she plans a prepublication party at the publishing house, but she does not tell Natalie about it. Instead, she makes up a reason for herself, Natalie, and Ms. Clayton to visit the publisher on the day of the event. She also calls up several news agencies and tells them what will happen at the party.

On the day of the party, Hannah is surprised to see TV cameras in the room. She thinks it is the work of Jody, her company’s publicity director. Meanwhile, Natalie arrives with Zoe and Ms. Clayton. She shows them both around her mom’s floor, telling them what she has learned about the publishing process. Letha sees them and, in a spiteful effort to embarrass Hannah, sends them up to the party. She has no idea she is directing the author of The Cheater to exactly the right place.

When they arrive in the conference room where the party is taking place, Natalie thinks they have made a mistake. She tries to leave, but Zoe does not let her. News cameras follow her as she and Hannah come face to face. Zoe introduces Hannah to Cassandra Day. At first Hannah misunderstands, thinking Ms. Clayton wrote The Cheater. News cameras are rolling as she realizes the truth.

Two weeks later, ABC News runs a half-hour show about The Cheater that includes interviews with Natalie, Zoe, Hannah, and Ms. Clayton. Natalie goes on several other shows to talk about the book, and The Cheater makes it to number one on The New York Times Children’s Bestseller List. Letha gets some of the credit, and she ends up landing a big job with another publisher. Hannah gets promoted to Letha’s position.

At the beginning of the next school year, Natalie and Zoe discuss royalties for her book. Natalie wants to give Zoe more than the fifteen percent their contract dictates, but Zoe will not accept that idea. She says her share is perfect. She also says it is okay if Natalie uses a real agent for her next book. Natalie rejects that idea immediately. She thinks Zoe is the best agent she could have. In the happy moment that follows, she has an idea for her next book. It is going to be called The School Story.