(4) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Aislinn's biggest dream is for her dad to stop drinking. Instead of hanging out with her best friend and dreamy Mike Mancinello, Aislinn cares for her younger siblings and worries about her mom, pregnant with baby number six. Though it ends on a naively optimistic note, the 1960s-set novel presents a realistic and hopeful portrait of life with an alcoholic parent.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) YA Picking up where Wish I Might ended, Willa awaits the summer's-end return of her boyfriend, JFK. Wedding planning, a creative book-lending scheme, issues with friends and her recently discovered half-brother, and a new romance amount to plenty of drama for the introspective teen to gush about. Willa's passion and spunk will continue to please fans in this predictable installment.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 Though her father is in jail and her mother lost her job, Sunny (Sunny Holiday) remains positive. As junior deputy mayor of her town, Sunny works to create a new holiday, Kid's Day, and makes sure the concerns of her neighbors and her school get heard. Sunny's likability helps overcome the meager plot and heavy-handed message of optimism even in bleak circumstances.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) YA Willa Havisham (The Wedding Planner's Daughter) is growing up. During a summer of change and discovery, she meets her long-lost brother and searches for a father who may still be alive. Willa's initial worry eventually gives way to a heightened sense of gratitude. Small, convoluted details in the plot detract from the main sequence of events.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) YA Sixteen-year-old servant Gracepearl dreams of leaving the island of Miramore and finding a greater purpose. It seems her only hope of exit is to marry one of the visiting princes-in-training, forsaking her childhood love--until a secret reveals a possible new future. Outspoken and feisty Gracepearl is overshadowed by the story's melodramatic writing.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Willa (The Wedding Planner's Daughter, The Cupid Chronicles, Willa By Heart) throws herself into pulling together a family wedding (in one week!) and participating in local social causes over the summer. There's also some drama with her boyfriend and her jealous best friend, Tina. Willa's winsome nature helps bolster the story's bland plot.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Funeral Director's Son series. Kip (The Funeral Director's Son) continues to hear dead people's voices. This time a cruel classmate's deceased mother is asking for help to move on. Kip is unhappy about his mission but hopes his actions will pay off personally (and financially). Although the slight story is filled with too many secondary plots, Kip's predicament continues to be engaging.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(3) 4-6 Sunny Holiday's mother works and goes to night school and her father is in prison. In the spirit of staying positive, Sunny decides there should be more kid-friendly holidays during the year. While figuring out how to get "some jiggle for January," she also finds ways to help her inner-city community. Sunny's infectious personality will carry readers through to the high-spirited ending.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) 4-6 In her latest adventure, fourteen-year-old Willa is dating the perfect boy, helping her mom plan weddings, auditioning for Our Town, and preparing to become a big sister. A new girl in town throws Willa for a loop, but she remains thoughtful and kind. Willa sounds young for her age; the brief chapters and light tone will attract younger readers.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 For twelve-year-old Kip, running a funeral home is a family affair. Kip's main job is tending to outdoor tasks, but his secret work is receiving messages from the dead and helping them move on. Reluctant to continue but inspired by possible monetary gain, Kip agrees to keep up his communications. Kip's likability doesn't completely compensate for a sedate plot.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Sixth-grader Mack, himself an accomplished athlete, is dying to best his seemingly perfect brother. He thinks the Danville Day Turkey Trot 5K is the place to prove himself to his sports-obsessed, class-conscious parents. A subplot about Mack's stoic friend from the wrong side of the tracks is heavy-handed, but readers may enjoy the sports action.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Willa (The Wedding Planner's Daughter) tries to save the local library by hosting fundraisers at her parents' Cape Cod inn. For the Valentine's Day dance, her best friend insists on matching couples based on a compatibility questionnaire, while Willa believes Cupid will prevail. Fans of Willa's plucky attitude won't be bothered by the book's distracting present-tense narration and some unlikely dialogue.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Willa's mother is a successful Cape Cod wedding planner who has no use for romance, which makes it very unlikely that Willa's wish for a father will ever come true. While the characters and story aren't always believable, Willa's exploits are amusingly portrayed.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tamara Petrosino. Prudence Proovit's professor parents, who homeschool her, disapprove of fairy tales. When they try an "experiment" and send Prudence to school, she heckles her fairy-tale reading teacher and alienates her only friend. The book's up-with-imagination message is heavy-handed, but this punning tale is full of surprises. Though cartoony, the illustrations have panache.

Reviewer: Nell Beram