Waterford native Beth Turley celebrates the publication of her first children's novel, "If This Were a Story," with a reading/signing event Friday at Bank Square Books in Mystic.

The book chronicles a troubled autumn in the life of Hannah, a fifth-grader whose cautious pride over winning spelling bees can't quite balance out the anxiety over her parents' unhappiness — and sorrow that someone is papering the school with bullying notes about her.

"If This Were a Story," published by New York's acclaimed Simon & Schuster, is bright, clever, touching, and empathetic. See an in-depth interview with Turley in Friday's Daybreak section.

Beth Turley, 5-7 p.m. Friday, Bank Square Books, 53 West Main St., Mystic; free; (860) 536-3795.