(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Kristin Sorra. Through diary entries, e-mail, and notes (and her occasional line drawings), Venola Cutright narrates her seventh-grade crush on Nathan and her feelings--as the youngest of six children--about her parents' decision to have another baby. Her unremitting self-centeredness, though tiresome, is authentic, and by the end of the mild story, Venola becomes more realistic about crushes.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 4-6 After eleven-year-old Venola Mae Cutright's grandfather dies, her parents send her to stay nights with her grandmother, who lives with thirteen cats in a trailer in Venola Mae's back yard. As her grandmother's health declines due to the diabetes she's eventually diagnosed with, Venola Mae's diary entries record her problems and feelings in a lighthearted but realistic way. Childlike line drawings accompany many of the journal entries.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.