(4) K-3 Illustrated by Alissa Imre Geis. Narrator Alexandra betrays her best friend to impress a cool new girl. The text, cowritten by a ninth grader, reads something like a conflict-resolution script, but readers will respond to its emotional frankness. Hip collage illustrations include Alexandra's ostensible drawings ("This is what Jenny Martin looks like when she is hurt"), depicting a layered, intimate portrait of a friendship.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Alissa Imre Geis. This third volume about third-grader Winnie perceptively examines the feelings of envy and insecurity that can arise among best friends. Winnie's friend Zoe is a champion speller, and friend Vanessa is a terrific actress, but Winnie doesn't know where her talents lie. With gentle humor, Jacobson reflects Winnie's conflicted emotions. Graceful black-and-white sketches are by turns pensive, warm, and open.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2006

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Alissa Imre Geis. The sequel to Winnie Dancing on Her Own finds Winnie at sleep-away camp. Trying to impress a new friend, Winnie alienates old friends Vanessa and Zoe and finds herself caught in an escalating lie (her mother is not really a famous artist). This chapter book is personable but overplotted, with details of camp activities, friendship dynamics, and the increasing complications from Winnie's lie all vying for the reader's attention.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Alissa Imre Geis. Third-grader Winnie doesn't have it easy: her mother is dead, her father is eccentric, and she's a klutz at ballet. When she decides to quit ballet class, her best friends, Vanessa and Zoe, don't keep their pledge to quit, too. The story is painted with broad strokes, but Jacobson deftly captures the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of friendship. Simple pencil drawings track Winnie's pursuit of individuality.

Reviewer: Nell Beram