(2) YA In this book for middle schoolers, ninth-grader Sylvie's best friend, Carl, seems to be growing away from her. Can they still be friends? Can they become more than friends? The author's acceptance of Carl's homosexuality is forthright and even breezy, allowing Sylvie to face the end of her romantic dreams while growing even closer to her best friend.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2010

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Having lived with an emotionally manipulative father her whole life, Beauty Cookson's self-esteem is almost nonexistent. When the abuse goes too far, however, she and her mother leave their home and start a new life. Beauty's journey from fear and powerlessness to strength and confidence is inspiringly portrayed.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Gemma's friend Alice is moving to Scotland, and both girls are distraught. They try running away from Alice's farewell party, almost catching the train to London. Gemma is disgraced; Alice moves away; the grownups are unsympathetic. The story manages an ending that is realistic but happy--while new horizons and new friends appear, Gemma and Alice remain "best friends forever."

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Pre-teen Floss adores her down-on-his-luck dad and decides to stay with him when Mum, stepfather, and baby brother move to Australia for six months. Some hair-raising adventures, happy coincidences, and a wish-fulfillment ending ensue. Wilson mixes familiar situations and concerns with a brisk pace. Comic-strip panels introduce each chapter, setting tone, illustrating Floss's feelings, and extending the action. Glos.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2007

(3) 4-6 Ten-year-old Dolphin and her older half-sister, Star, have always coped with their mother Marigold's mood swings. But when Marigold's mental instability grows severe and Star moves to her father's house, Dolphin finds herself in the frightening role of caretaker. The narrator's young voice rings with surprising maturity in this story of mental illness and family solidarity.

Reviewer: Marika Hoe

(3) YA Girls series. Fresh from her conquest of boyfriend Russell in Girls in Love, British teen Ellie is discovering romance can be rocky. Plus, she's on the outs with her best friends Nadine and Magda, compounded when she finds Magda kissing Russell. Family life, school, and young love are sensitively and humorously portrayed, and fans will cheer Ellie's new artistic triumphs.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 4-6 A teacher designs a website for his grade school students to express their worries and subsequently helps to smooth some of the wrinkles in their lives. Witty, good-spirited, and genuine, these interconnected stories, each detailing one child's worry, range in gravity from a schoolboy crush to domestic abuse. One impressive story is written not by Wilson but by a twelve-year-old contest winner.

Reviewer: Kristin Cashore

(3) YA Girls series. When her thin best friend is picked for modeling tryouts, British teen Ellie goes on an extreme diet, even forcing herself to throw up. Surviving her sort-of boyfriend's brush-off and supporting her friends through their own troubles helps Ellie find her feet again. This sequel to Girls in Love is a realistic, friend-focused portrayal that avoids the obvious case-study aspects of similar books.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) YA Girls series. When her best friends Magda and Nadine each get their first boyfriends, Ellie pretends she has a boyfriend, too--but really he's only Dopey Dan, the odd-looking but surprisingly funny guy she met on holiday. British language and setting flavor this humorous look at the anguish of starting high school, living with a blended family, dealing with puberty, and deciding it's okay to just be friends.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) YA Girls series. When teen Ellie (of Girls under Pressure) meets attractive fellow-artist Russell, her new romance tests her blended family's curfews and limits as well as her longtime friendships with Magda and Nadine. Set in London, the book's safety-conscious messages are not overemphasized, while Ellie's choices regarding her family and friends finally dovetail with a satisfying romance.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Small for her size and overly protected by her frumpy mother, ten-year-old Mandy is the victim of frequent bullying by three girls in her class. When she befriends a brash and sophisticated girl who moves into a foster home across the street, Tanya's friendship gives Mandy the courage to face the torment at school and gain some independence from her mother. Black-and-white sketches help enliven a rather bland story.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Tough-talking ten-year-old Tracy, in and out of foster homes, finds herself back in a children's home once again. An aspiring writer, she strikes up a friendship with a journalist who visits the home to research a story. The diary format works well and provides a surprisingly well-rounded picture of the seemingly callous but lonely young girl. Sharratt's cartoon drawings help lighten the tone.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2001

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Nick Sharratt. After witnessing her best friend's death in a car accident, Jade finds it hard to make new friends, especially since Vicky's ghost comes back and jealously prevents her from trying. Class clown "Fatboy" Sam and Jade's teachers reach out to help. Set in England (with British-flavored language), this ghost story can be read lightly, yet it grapples with serious issues of grieving and moving on.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Nick Sharratt. For a school project on the Victorians, eleven-year-old Charlie creates a diary written by Lottie, her nineteenth-century alter ego. Chapters alternate between Charlie's chatty, opinionated narrative about school, home, and her mother's boyfriend, and domestic servant Lottie's earnest journal entries, which offer a different perspective on Charlie's problems. This is a gentle endorsement for using one's imagination to work through change.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1999

(3) 4-6 Few people can tell ten-year-old twins Ruby and Garnet apart: "Well, until we start talking," as Ruby writes in the journal the girls share. Outgoing, bossy Ruby leads; shy Garnet follows. When their widowed father and his girlfriend buy a bookstore in the country, the move precipitates changes in the twins' relationship. Economical line drawings reinforce the book's funny, sharply realized characters and realistic tone.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.