TWIN SURPRISES
by Susan Beth Pfeffer & illustrated by Abby Carter
At her mother's suggestion, Betsy plans a surprise eighth- birthday party for her twin sister, Crista. She quickly finds that it's easier said than done: the sisters are in the same class, share the same room, and even have the same best friends. Meanwhile, she keeps finding Crista and Mom having their own private conversations and everyone giggling about something she's not in on. This is a one-gag story with a weak main character. Betsy seems younger than eight: the concept of a surprise party has to be spelled out for her in detail, and she lacks clever ideas about how to issue her secret invitations. Silly and slight. (Fiction. 7-10)*justify no*