Publishers Weekly
"Offering a month-by-month account of Winnie's 11th year, this lighthearted and well-observed novel is sure to strike a familiar chord with girls on the brink of adolescence," wrote PW. Ages 8-up. (July) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Gr 4-6-The author of Kissing Kate (Dutton, 2003) once again explores shifting relationships, this time for a younger audience. Starting with her birthday, Winnie chronicles her 11th year, as she spends time with her lifelongfriend Amanda, placates her grumpy teenage sister and her active little brother, and experiences her first crush. Life could not be better; except that Amanda is starting to slide into adolescence while Winnie is still firmly rooted in childhood. When Gail, a new sixth grader, attracts Amanda's attention, Winnie surprises herself by joining up with unpopular but friendly Dinah. The inclusion of details about the everyday lives of these girls-Chinese jump ropes, flavored Lip-Smackers, and dressing alike-will make this novel enjoyable, even for reluctant readers. However, it's the book's occasional revelation of harder truths that lifts it out of the ordinary. Winnie has a chance to take snobby Gail home when they are trapped at school during a rare Atlanta snowstorm. Although she has proven to be kind at other times, she does not invite Gail along, and this is the only time that readers will feel anything like sympathy for a character who is a bit too easy to dislike. More subtly, Myracle explores the hurts, small and not so small, of losing a lifetime friend in the same quiet way that Lynne Rae Perkins's All Alone in the Universe (Greenwillow, 1999) does for teens. Fortunately, the protagonists' discovery that love and trust can come from opening oneself to someone new compensates for such losses.-Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Myracle displays a good ear for the words, emotions, and angst of a tween as she takes young heroine Winnie Perry from her 11th to 12th birthdays. Oh, the changes-or, in some case, the fear of same-one year can bring. What's up with a best friend whose interests (boys, for example) suddenly exceed those of Winnie's and who just may be latching on to a new best bud? And is it really possible for Winnie to find friendship, areas of common interest, and a great jump-rope partner in the dorky girl who's always been on the periphery of the class's attention? Sure, contemplating change in your own and other people's lives can be scary, but Winnie learns, as she grows in maturity and self-awareness, that each month brings new adventures and, ultimately, the realization that change isn't all that bad. Girls will especially like this enjoyable novel that rings with preteen truth. (Fiction. 9-12)
