Third-grader Anna is having friend troubles: her ex-best-friend Laura is now hanging around with Allison, a mean but popular girl, leaving Anna on her own. Anna escapes into the pages of books -- but when Laura is facing serious problems at home, can Anna let go of her resentment and remember how to be Laura's true friend?
The best descriptor I can come up with for this book is "nice" -- it's not going to rock anyone's world, but it's a nice, gentle sort of story. Girls like Anna, who escape into books and have friendship troubles and run-ins with mean girls, will see themselves in this book. There's also an element of diversity as Anna learns to respect her Chinese heritage. A pleasant read, but I won't seek out others in the series.
(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher.)
I'm sure you have plenty of books to read, but the subsequent books are compelling reads that cover topics and situations rarely addressed in other books for the age level. The Year of the Baby is particularly affecting as Anna's newly adopted sister (from China) isn't thriving and Anna and her friends figure out what is wrong (while doing a science fair project).
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan. I know that my library has copies of the subsequent books, and your recommendation may push me to pick them up one of these days.
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