The only sour note in this otherwise sweet series closer was the epilogue, which featured the girls having visions of the future involving important events happening to the boys in their lives with their own futures mostly side notes. Now it’s Grace’s turn for the limelight, as she tries to figure out what’s causing the magic in Willow Falls to run haywire.

The story turns back to our original characters, Amanda and Leo, as they journey in time to different birthdays in Grace’s past, trying to stop the magical mistake that will cause the coma. On her 10 th birthday, she falls into a coma. David’s best friend Connor has a little sister named Grace. This one got my daughter excited both about Judaism and Fiddler on the Roof. The one diverse note in the series comes as she falls for David, a boy who’s been practicing for his bar mitzvah in her cousin’s swimming pool hole. Rory is her cousin Emily’s babysitter, and for the first time in her life, Tara finds herself welcomed as part of a community, nearly all of whom know just what it’s like to have Angelina DiAngelo pay special attention to you around your birthday. Tara has never been to Willow Falls – until she gets in trouble at school and is sent to live with her aunt and cousin for the summer while her parents go to Madagascar.

My daughter and a young friend of the target age both thought it was hilarious, though.ġ3 Gifts by Wendy Mass. The magic here isn’t really obvious, and I couldn’t understand why it should be necessary for Rory to go through so much pain for wanting things that seemed age-appropriate to me. At the same time, she strikes up a friendship with the cute young movie star who’s filming his newest movie at her school. Each and every one of them goes horribly and painfully wrong. Now that she’s finally 12, Rory begins to check off the list of things her parents will finally allow her to do. This was charming, and while I found the plot a little predictable, it was still very much enjoyable.įinally by Wendy Mass. And Amanda keeps reliving the same day, including being startled awake by a giant Sponge Bob Square Pants balloon. Now they’re turning 11 – a mysterious old woman named Angelina keeps turning up. In this first book in the series, we meet Amanda and Leo, who were best friends, even celebrating their birthday together, until a horrible event that happened at their tenth birthday party. This is fun, contemporary fiction with a fantasy touch that varies from nearly undetectable to large from book to book.Įleven Birthdays by Wendy Mass. Especially if you meet her around your birthday… Oh, and be careful if you run into an old woman with a duck-shaped birthmark on her face. Everything is pretty normal here, except that children really never have to go to the hospital after they’re born. Welcome to Willow Falls, a small all-American town.

Finally by wendy mass summary