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Margaret was born and raised in Blessing, TX, a small 600-person town near the Gulf of Mexico. Her best friend growing up was her grandmother, “Mimi,” the elementary school librarian. When Margaret was a young girl, her family would help rehabilitate injured or abandoned animals and release them back into the wild. These careful actions got her a spot on the Houston Zoo Crew volunteer team in middle school, where she learned and interacted with more exotic animals like jellyfish, sharks, and the occasional reptile. Margaret has an industrial distribution degree from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in psychology from Grand Canyon University. She is married to her husband Cameron Bain, who she met in college during an internship in Dallas, TX. They have 2 spunky cats named Marco and Polo, and an energetic Australian shepherd named Mabel together in Houston, TX, where they both live and work.
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
Anne Has an Alligator by Margaret Bain follows the titular little girl adapting to a world where every person is assigned an animal companion at birth. Unlike her peers and their less awkward companions, Anne receives an alligator. Her family moves to a new town, hoping for a fresh start, but Anne remains anxious about fitting in. At her new school, she meets Christopher Ryan, Latrice, and other students with unique animals. She bonds with them, particularly through the guidance of Ms. Angela, the school’s zookeeper, who helps her understand her alligator’s anxiety. A confrontation with a bully, Hannah Nicole, further complicates Anne’s transition, but her new friends support her. Just as she begins to settle in, Anne returns home to a shocking discovery.
Anne Has an Alligator by Margaret Bain is a unique story that shares its whimsy with a big heart. Bain's imaginative premise sets the stage for a thoughtful look at belonging and self-acceptance. The writing is simple, straightforward, and accessible to middle-grade readers and up. Both myself and one of my younger readers found Anne’s situation to be relatable—I implore you to consider, again, that we are talking about a girl with an alligator. That's how much we enjoyed it! Moments of humor, strain, and warmth are well balanced, particularly in scenes like the fire drill mishap and the lunchtime confrontation. We loved that the school has a zookeeper and that the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, promising more to come in the series. Very highly recommended.
