THIRTEEN

Picking up the last quarter of seventh grade with her milestone birthday, Winnie Perry (Eleven, 2004; Twelve, 2007) enters the eighth grade saddled comfortably between her two BFFs Dinah and Cinnamon. It is a year of firsts for Winnie—first kiss, first real boyfriend, first exposure to someone else’s serious childhood illness, first boy-girl party, first break-up. Myracle’s diary-style, monthly narrative continues to juggle the early-adolescent psyche against the realities of some of life’s more difficult moments. Winnie’s experience with cancer (her little brother’s friend, Joseph, has leukemia) provides a certain perspective to the problems and personal hurts she faces in her daily teenage angst. More importantly, her middle-child status within a loving and well-adjusted family places her in a position of emotional strength for a little brother and admiration for an older sister’s advice. The ups and downs of this typical early teen are well-drawn and realistically portrayed, touching on good and bad values. As in life, the year closes with a new beginning. Fans will eagerly await the next wholesome installment. (Fiction. 9-12)