When a girl who feels rotten about playing Second Banana in the annual food and nutrition pageant learns that the girl playing First Banana has stage fright, she suggests a solution to both problems.

"It begins with an octopus who plays the ukulele. Since this is a story, the octopus has to want something--maybe to travel to faraway galaxies in a totally awesome purple spaceship. Then the octopus sets out to build a spaceship out of soda cans, glue, umbrellas, glitter, and waffles. OK, maybe the octopus needs some help, like from an adorable bunny friend, and maybe that bunny turns out to be . . . a rocket scientist? (Probably not.) But could...