Gr. 6-8. Stephanie Hirsh, an eternal optimist, is looking forward to starting junior high. It bothers her that her father has to be on the West Coast until Thanksgiving, but at least she's home with her mom; her engaging younger brother, Bruce; and her best friend, Rachel Robinson. When Stephanie meets Alison Monceau, the Vietnamese daughter of an American actress, she happily incorporates the girl into her circle. But events are changing in Stephanie's life without her really being aware of them. Her father's absence turns out to be a marital separation from her mother, and Stephanie is inducted into the world of holidays split between parents, ``flings,'' and adults caught up in their own lives. Moreover, Stephanie and Rachel have a falling out, and all of Stephanie's problems lead to a significant weight gain. It's been a while since Blume has written for this age group, and she shows the same easy touch that has endeared her to so many children. Unfortunately, it's hard to be an innovator when one has so many imitators this predictable though likable story nestles right into the first-person genre. Conversations about first periods, career mothers, and boy-girl relationships abound, but the serious problems, such as what it means to be overweight in a fanatically thin society, are never really addressed. While her plotting slides a bit, Blume's characters are engaging, and fans of the author will be happy to spend time with this winsome group. IC. Friendship Fiction / Family problems Fiction [CIP] 87-7980

Gr 5-7 Blume once again chronicles the customs, mores, and lifestyle of preteen girls. This first-person narrative touches on many themes found in her previous novels: friendship, emerging sexuality, body weight, the family, menstruation. The freshness and intimacy of 13-year-old Stephanie Hirsch's account infuse those themes with originality. Stephanie enters seventh grade armed with innate optimism, two best friends, and a supportive mom. She gradually assimilates the devastating news of her parents' separation, endures the pain of an all-out fight with her oldest best friend, and comforts her young brother through nightmares of nuclear war. The Blume trademarks of realistic dialogue, funny non sequiturs, and forthright misinformation (gullible Stephanie is told by her friend that hairy legs on a boy indicate sexual experience) are much in evidence. The inviting jacket design, showing the three friends in a fit of giggles, perfectly evokes the upbeat story. Susan H. Patron, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The popular author returns to the junior-high age with an episodic story about a three-way friendship during a seventh-grade year. Tall, super-bright Rachel and narrator Stephanie have been best friends forever. When diminutive Alison--a Vietnamese adoptee whose mother is a well-known TV star--moves to their neighborhood, she easily joins their circle; Alison's unassuming charm makes her everyone's favorite, and her family is pleasantly ordinary. Meanwhile, Stephanie is beset by various pressures: Rachel neglects to tell her that she's been transferred to an accelerated math class; more important, Dad is ""away on business"" for months. When it turns out at Thanksgiving that her parents are trying a separation, it is a total surprise to Stephanie, partly because of her self-absorption, partly because her parents have dropped astonishingly few hints. Stephanie's angry response includes a food binge; the resulting fat complicates possible friendships with boys, who are just starting to be more interesting. Come spring, Stephanie begins to accept her parents' wish to live apart; a quarrel with Rachel, the inevitable consequence of the year's tensions and jealousies, is sorted out; and she loses weight. Blume still excels at assembling the minutiae and concerns of today's young with a humorous style and enough insight to win her readers. Devotees will set themselves a valuable precedent by reading a book of this length. Light; sure to please. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Stephanie, 12, is into ``hunks'' even though she's never met one herself. But when she starts seventh grade and finds out that she and her best friend, Rachel, aren't in any of the same classes except gym, Stephanie has more to worry about than boys. A new girl, Alison, moves in; she's a welcome new friend, but her presence alters the relationship between Steph and Rachel. For the first time, Rachel has secrets from Steph. But worse, Stephanie accidently learns that her father isn't in California on business, but that her parents have separated, and that her father has a girlfriend. She even suspects her mother of having a ``fling.'' The relationships within the storyamong the three friends, and between Steph and her parentsare complicated, and Blume handles this aspect realistically and with great ease. The plot resolution, though carefully handled, is curiously flat. Despite this weakness, the story is lively, moves quickly, and captures the nutty, poignant world of very young teenagers. Ages 10-13. (September) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved