Sophie's World (Sophie Series, Book 1)
Grade 4-6 - Starting sixth grade in a new school can be tough for anyone, but it's especially hard for Sophie LeCroix, a petite girl with a grand imagination. She loves to make believe that she is Antoinette, a French girl caught up in the American Revolution. Unfortunately, Sophie's daydreaming gets her in trouble with her teachers, and the popular girls think she's weird because they no longer play imaginary games. Things change when Fiona Bunting enters the school, and the two girls become fast friends. Meanwhile, Sophie's parents, who are worried about her play-acting, decide to send her to a counselor. With the help of Fiona's friendship, sessions with Dr. Peter, and her religion, Sophie learns that everything has a place in the world. While the plot and characters are nicely developed, the Christian focus feels forced upon the story line. Sophie's relationship with Jesus is not given much context: there are no scenes with the LeCroix family attending church or Sunday school. Instead Sophie, seemingly out of nowhere, suddenly starts praying. This is unfortunate, because otherwise it's a good story.- Heather Ulesoo, New York Public LibraryCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.