First of all, don't you just love the eye-catching cover?! That alone will have the target middle grade students grabbing it off the shelf. They will also find the story inside won't disappoint.
Fifth grade Willa struggles with a condition known as Sensory Processing Disorder. If she were to explain it, she would say she isn't as comfortable in her body as most people are in theirs. However, Willa chooses not to reveal her condition to anyone outside her family. Her biweekly visits with Maureen, an occupational therapist, help Willa control her fidgets and feelings for the most part. She keeps her at home behavior/reward charts a secret. Her parents and her brother understand her peculiar habits and help her keep on track.
Willa loves legos, gummy bears, and her best friend Ruby. Willa and Rudy are eagerly awaiting their middle school letters that will indicate which middle school they'll be attending next year. Both of them are hoping their test scores and interviews have earned them spots at Maya A., one of the most prestigious schools in the city.
It has taken awhile, but Willa has finally adjusted to her parents' divorce. Living in the city with her father Monday-Friday and with her mother and step-father on the weekend has become normal. But, things are about to change for Willa and her friend Ruby.
When the girls learn that Willa's father and Ruby's mother have fallen in love and plan to marry, their reactions couldn't be any different. Ruby is thrilled and Willa is scared to death. What will happen when her best friend becomes her sister? What will happen when Ruby learns Willa's secret?
Author Carolyn Mackler does a superb job painting a picture of the struggle of living with Sensory Processing Disorder and dealing with impending life as a blended family. Readers will immediately become fans of Willa and Ruby. They will root for them as they come to terms with their changing lives. It isn't easy to make the necessary adjustments as disappointments threaten the girls' dreams of the future, and characters like the awful Avery create unwanted tension. Pick up a copy for the middle grade readers in your life. Now, I'm off to see if KEEN shoes really exist because if they do, I'm buying a pair!
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