Synopses & Reviews
Sophie is glad it's summer because after her summer-school math class she can hang out at the local swimming pool with her best friend, Annalise. But she's scared to jump off the high diving board, and that's what everyone else wants to do, even Annalise. Maybe, Sophie thinks, she can train herself to be brave by making a list of scary things to do and doing them, one by one. If she can do a math problem on the board and ride her bike no-hands, surely she can manage that jump! Short, humorous, easy-to-read chapters with plenty of funny illustrations tell the lively story of Sophie's summer project and the surprising discoveries she makes on the way to her goal.
Review
Sophie loves lazy summer days and hanging out at Bancroft Hills Community Pool with her best friend, Annalise. However, her enjoyment is marred by a deep and shameful secret-she's afraid to jump off the high dive. When Maggie and Jennifer, the two coolest girls in her class, deign to notice Sophie and Annalise, it's to invite them to play Pirates Walking the Plank-on the high dive. Mortified, Sophie has to refuse and be branded "chicken" while watching Annalise defect to the enemy camp. Not one to lose a friend without a fight, Sophie devises a plan to conquer her fear. But while systematically working through her list of "Scary Things to Do," she discovers timing is everything: "I don't think you should practice being scared the way you practice cartwheels. I think it's better if you just wait for the right time." And with some help from Dad, Sophie finds just that. This early chapter book delivers its reassuring message with a light hand (and some interesting compli-cations), and Sophie proves an honest and engaging narrator.
Review
"This early chapter book delivers its reassuring message with a light hand (and some interesting complications), and Sophie proves an honest and engaging narrator." Horn Book Guide
Willner-Pardo puts the theme explored in Rosemary Wells's Edward The Unready series into an easy chapter book with this accessible tale of a child working her way up to jumping from the local pool's high board. When neither peer pressure nor her best friend Annalise's example can get Sophie all the way up the ladder, she decides to try conquering her fear by doing other scary things, such as sleeping without a nightlight, eating a bug, and volunteering to do a math problem at the board in summer school. Finally, with her father's gentle encouragement, she does the deed, explaining later to Annalise that she wasn't any less frightened than beforeshe was just ready. The author's...lively sense of humor and intelligent, considerate cast keep this from being weighted down by its agenda. Chang's occasional black-and-white illustrations place sweet-faced young characters into tidy suburban settings.
Kirkus Reviews
Review
"This early chapter book delivers its reassuring message with a light hand (and some interesting complications), and Sophie proves an honest and engaging narrator."
About the Author
Gina Willner-Pardo is the author of 15 books, including Jason and the Losers and Figuring Out Frances, which won the Bank Street College of Education Josette Frank Award. She lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area.