REVIEW
The book opens with10-year-old Mavis Jeeter leaving Hadley, Georgia for the same reason she’s left so many other homes–her mother’s job hasn’t worked out and she decides it’s time to move on. Mavis is brave and spunky–but because of their frequent moves, she never ends up having a best friend. The reader quickly figures out Mavis’s internal goal: to live somewhere long enough that she can have a “true” best friend.
Therefore, when she meets Rose Tully, the shy daughter of her mother’s new employer, Mavis announces, “You’ll be my new best friend.” Since Rose doesn’t feel like she fits in with the other girls in their exclusive Magnolia Estates neighborhood, that suits her just fine.
The story sweetly shows their ups and downs in navigating this new friendship. Since Wonderland is written from multiple-POV’s, the reader gets to see the agonies each girl suffers when they feel as if they’ve blown it with the other person. The author does a great job of showing their gaffes as well as how the two girls forgive one another.
The story has a happy ending–Mavis proves to be right–but there are enough obstacles that get in the way of that perfect solution to make the story interesting for elementary school girls.
A neat addition to this friendship story is that Henry has his own POV. Readers will enjoy “hearing” Henry’s thoughts and “feeling” his emotions as the greyhound longs for freedom and a person of his own to love him.
I asked Barbara about her reason for including Henry as a POV character and she said,
I know that most kids love dogs and have no problem thinking of them as an actual character in a story. I needed Henry (the dog) in order to add another emotional layer to the story. I needed the reader to know Henry’s feelings and motivations for his actions. Having a third POV character also kept the story moving forward but in differing, yet parallel, ways.
I enjoyed Mavis’s child-like optimism that her plans would work and her persistence to come up with a “Plan B” when they didn’t. In the end, she has gained what she wanted–but not exactly in the way she had expected. Rose’s character arc–from a shy, quiet girl to a brave 5th grader who speaks her mind to her mother–is believable and worth cheering for.
The story will help young readers to consider what truly makes a best friend. In the end, as all three main characters reach a new normal I thought, “Is this Rose, Mavis’s or Henry’s story?”
That will be for the reader to decide.
GIVEAWAY
Here is an audio excerpt as a teaser.
Sounds like a book that would shed light on something many kids haven't experienced. I love the internal goal!
My 10-year-old granddaughter has been sharing her “girl drama” issues with me, and I think this would be a perfect fit for her at school right now! I'm glad there are such books to help our grands learn how to navigate all kinds of friendships.
Thanks Theresa and Linda. Your names start the list!
Wonderland! I think we'd all like to be in our own created wonderland! Thanks for sharing!Never Give UpJoan
Thanks, JOan. You're in!
As a child, I often felt like I didn’t have a best friend…nice to see a book that addresses this.
Good observation Jo Lynn!
This looks like a terrific book. Please throw my name in the hat. Thanks for the review.
This looks like a terrific book. Please throw my name in the hat. Thanks for the review.
Sounds like a book that would shed light on something many kids haven't experienced. I love the internal goal!
My 10-year-old granddaughter has been sharing her “girl drama” issues with me, and I think this would be a perfect fit for her at school right now! I'm glad there are such books to help our grands learn how to navigate all kinds of friendships.
Thanks Theresa and Linda. Your names start the list!
Wonderland! I think we'd all like to be in our own created wonderland! Thanks for sharing!Never Give UpJoan
Thanks, JOan. You're in!
As a child, I often felt like I didn’t have a best friend…nice to see a book that addresses this.
Good observation Jo Lynn!
This looks like a terrific book. Please throw my name in the hat. Thanks for the review.
This looks like a terrific book. Please throw my name in the hat. Thanks for the review.