From the Publisher
Starting with her birthday in March, every chapter brings a new month and a new event in Winnie's life. From surviving her teenage sister's grumpy mood swings in April to dealing with prissy new rival Gail Grayson in September, there's a calendar full of the ups and downs of being eleven years old. Especially hard for Winnie is the growing distance between herself and her best friend, Amanda, as both girls grow into different social circles. The big and little moments of Winnie's year are captured with honesty and warmth, and her sharp observations and infectious enthusiasm make for hilarious storytelling. Eleven-year-olds of all ages will discover themselves in this winning young heroine on the brink of adolescence.
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.
Claudia Mills
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Children's Literature
Eleven is not an easy year for Winnie; maybe it's not an easy year for any of us. Poised on the brink of adolescence, Winnie, month by month, experiences the subtly shifting dynamics of old friendships giving way to new ones, as girls grow up at different rates, and in different directions. The jacket flap promises "hilarious adventures" and "crazy ups and downs," but while there is a good deal of humor in each carefully recorded incident in Winnie's year, the tone is nuanced rather than madcap, quietly accurate and insightful rather than exaggerated and zany. Myracle closes in the moment when Winnie realizes that her best friend, Amanda, is embarrassed to be seen playing a favorite game of make-believe with her in the drugstore aisle; when Winnie deepens her crush on her sister's boyfriend, Bo, while he scoops ice cream for her at Baskin-Robbins; when she feels ashamed of her saggy one-piece bathing suit on a weekend trip to the beach; and when she forces herself to invite an unpopular, yearning girl to a family Halloween party. Every detail of a lunchtime Chinese jump rope rivalry is honored with minute, microscopic attention. Occasionally the reader may want a bit more structure and closure than Myracle provides in her kaleidoscope of Winnie's year; when the last page comes, it doesn't feel like the last page—the reader may expect and (and need) something more. But Myracle definitely does justice to the small, painful, poignant moments of adolescence. 2004, Dutton, Ages 8 to 12.
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)
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