Ava and Pip

Gr 4–7—Ava is a spirited fifth grader and aspiring writer. Her sister Pip is a painfully shy seventh grader. Ava loves her sister, but gets frustrated with her awkwardness and the amount of parental attention she gets because of it ("I know Pip isn't shy on purpose, but it still gets me mad.") Pip's birthday party is derailed when a popular new girl, Bea, moves to town and hosts a party on the same night. Indignantly, Ava writes a story, "Sting of the Queen Bee." When her story is honored in a library contest, it goes public. Rather than start a mean-girl battle, Bea and Ava are honest with each other about their hurt feelings, and team up to help draw Pip out of her shell. They are so successful that Ava then has to adjust to the shift in family dynamics. The story is told through Ava's diary entries, which bear sign offs such as "Ava the annoying," "Ava, abandoned?," and "Ava amazed." Her writing is filled with palindromes and wordplay. Some of the musings may be more sophisticated than realistic for a fifth grader, but they they are so clever, and her voice is so charming that it's a pleasure to forgive. The relationships between all the girls are tender and realistic while the adults are caring and involved. The story has just enough conflict to keep the pages flying, with the comfortable certainty that it will all work out.—Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK