Synopses & Reviews
There's a new girl in town! After Ida Mays last best friend moved away, she swore shed never have another. But then she met fun, sparkly Stacey Merriweather, and now she and Ida are like two peas in a pod. When the friends discover a magical mermaid night-light that seems to grant wishes, they start a secret clubjust the two of them. Ida uses the mermaid to make something bad happen to Jenna, the mean girl in class. Then Stacey uses the mermaid to undo a scheduled math test. The more they put the mermaid's powers to use, the more they need to help it along by manipulating the truth with their "highly creative stories." Ida goes along with all the lies at first. But before long, Ida suspects that Stacey is using the mermaid to tell some big lies . . . and to cause some big trouble at home. And soon Ida feels caught between telling the truth and hurting friendship with Stacey. How will Ida set the record straight while still keeping her new best friend?
Review
"What a generous spirit behind this book: one that celebrates the crooked quirks of its characters. I love Zoe's parents and her friend Wheeler, but most especially I love Zoe. She's perfect, in the most deliciously crooked kind of way."--Sharon Creech, Newbery Medal-winning author of
Walk Two Moons "An impressive and poignant debut novel . . . filled with hope and humor."--School Library Journal
"Immediately engaging . . . Zoeand#8217;s world is drawn with sometimes painful precision, her emotions are revealed with empathy, and her story unfolds realistically, without the miracles she hopes for, but with small, sometimes surprising changes . . . sometimes funny, sometimes tender, this is a promising debut."--Booklist
"Short, funny chapters full of exaggeration and exasperation provide lots of laughs . . . Readers with their own dreams, weird obsessions, and quirky hobbies will be heartened by the message that a few bumps, compromises, and sour notes along the way can pay off in a major key."--The Bulletin
Review
"A quiet, strongly realistic novel."--
Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
"This changing-friendship novel is refreshingly presented without villains or victims. . . . A perceptive, poignant novel of middle-school identity and friendship."--
The Horn Book "A particularly accessible [story]. . . . Readers will sympathize intensely with Sarah's dilemma."--
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"The dialogue is right-on, and readers will recognize the vicious social warfare from the lunchroom to the school bus."--Booklist
"A heartwarming story about life's unexpected lessons, through the eyes of a girl experiencing them for the first time."--School Library Journal
Review
"A sweet read."--Discovery Girls magazine"Entertaining . . .and#160;A good selection for reluctant readers as well as those adjusting to the pressures of growing up."--Kirkus Reviews"Delightful."--School Library Journal"Ida embodies the universal longing to connect with a kindred spirit."--Publishers Weekly
Review
"Bowe is spot-on with Ida May's feelings....Issues surrounding divorced households are handled realistically. The unexpected twist (at the end) is believable and satisfying. Fans of Ida May will be overjoyed to read this new installment." --
Kirkus Reviews (July 1, 2008)Praise for
My Last Best Friend:Delightful . . . This story is for readers who have graduated from Sara Pennypackers Clementine stories, Barbara Parks Junie B. Jones series, and Megan McDonald's Judy Moody books.”
School Library Journal A sweet read with a surprising ending!”
Discovery Girls magazineBowe successfully creates a wry, sweet, proud protagonist in Ida May whose struggle . . . hits all the right emotional notes.”
BooklistSynopsis
As Ida May begins fourth grade, she is determined never to make another best friend--because her last best friend moved away.and#160;This is a doable plan at first. Thanks to bratty, bossy Jenna Drews, who hates Ida, no one in class has ever really noticed her before.and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;It's when the sparkly Stacey Merriweather comes to her school thatand#160;Ida'sand#160;plan goes awry. Ida reaches out despite her fear butand#160;doesn'tand#160;say hello--instead she writes Staceyand#160;anonymous notes.and#160;Soon their friendship develops without Ida ever having to reveal her real identity . . . until she has no choice.and#160;And that's when the true friendship begins.
Synopsis
Sarah promised Marjorie when they were five years old that they would be best friends forever. But that was before seventh grade, when everything changed—everything except Marjorie. While Sarah wants to meet new people and try new things, Marjorie still likes doing the same things they always did. It seems the more time the two girls spend together, the more time Sarah wants to spend apart. How did a promise that was so easy to make become so hard to keep?
With beautifully drawn characters and vivid details, this incisive novel portrays middle school in all its complexity—both the promise of what is to come and the pain of what must be left behind.
Synopsis
Ten-year-old Zoe Elias has perfect piano dreams. She can practically feel the keys under her flying fingers; she can hear the audience's applause. All she needs is a baby grand so she can start her lessons, and then she'll be well on her way to Carnegie Hall.
But when Dad ventures to the music store and ends up with a wheezy organ instead of a piano, Zoe's dreams hit a sour note. Learning the organ versions of old TV theme songs just isn't the same as mastering Beethoven on the piano. And the organ isn't the only part of Zoe's life in Michigan that's off-kilter, what with Mom constantly at work, Dad afraid to leave the house, and that odd boy, Wheeler Diggs, following her home from school every day.
Yet when Zoe enters the annual Perform-O-Rama organ competition, she finds that life is full of surprises--and that perfection may be even better when it's just a little off center.
Synopsis
Fourth grade is tough for self-deprecating misfit Ida May when her quirky best friend moves away
Synopsis
Linda Urban's irresistible debut novel, full of warmth and sass, about ten-year-old Zoe Elias, who has perfect piano dreams but a life that's a little off-kilter.
Synopsis
A sequel to the charming tale of fourth-grade friendship, My Last Best Friend
About the Author
There's a new girl in town! After Ida Mays last best friend moved away, she swore shed never have another. But then she met fun, sparkly Stacey Merriweather, and now she and Ida are like two peas in a pod. When the friends discover a magical mermaid night-light that seems to grant wishes, they start a secret club
justthe two of them. Ida uses the mermaid to make something bad happen to Jenna, the mean girl in class. Then Stacey uses the mermaid to undo a scheduled math test. The more they put the mermaid's powers to use, the more they need to help it along by manipulating the truth with their "highly creative stories." Ida goes along with all the lies at first. But before long, Ida suspects that Stacey is using the mermaid to tell some
biglies . . . and to cause some big trouble at home. And soon Ida feels caught between telling the truth and hurting friendship with Stacey. How will Ida set the record straight while still keeping her new best friend? A sequel to the charming tale of fourth-grade friendship,
My Last Best Friend"Bowe is spot-on with Ida May's feelings....Issues surrounding divorced households are handled realistically. The unexpected twist (at the end) is believable and satisfying. Fans of Ida May will be overjoyed to read this new installment." --
Kirkus Reviews(July 1, 2008)Praise for
My Last Best Friend:Delightful . . . This story is for readers who have graduated from Sara Pennypackers Clementine stories, Barbara Parks Junie B. Jones series, and Megan McDonald's Judy Moody books.”
School Library JournalA sweet read with a surprising ending!”
Discovery GirlsmagazineBowe successfully creates a wry, sweet, proud protagonist in Ida May whose struggle . . . hits all the right emotional notes.”
BooklistJULIE BOWE grew up in Luck, Wisconsin. Actually she grew up "out of Luck"--about a mile and half away. She is the author of the companion novel, My Last Best Friend, which is perfect "for readers who have graduated from sara Pennypacker's 'Clementine' stories, Barbara Park's 'Junie B. Jones' series, and Megan McDonald's 'Judy Moody' books," according to School Library Journal. She knows how to strum a guitar, play a really good game of foosball, and count to three in Danish (en, to,tre!). Plus, she has seen a real bog person, met Dr. Suess, and knows exactly what to do with an æbleskiver. She lives in Mondovi, Wisconsin.