Only Emma
Grade 2-4–When Emma's mother loses her job, the third grader has to leave private school, and they move to a new neighborhood. Then Anthony, the four-year-old son of her mother's friend, comes to stay for a week. To Emma, he's just one big annoyance. She makes friends with Cynthia, also an only child, whom she is eager to please for fear of losing the relationship. When Cynthia invites Emma to sleep over, her mom gives her the option of asking her friend to their house instead, because of Anthony. Emma can't imagine that Cynthia would like the boy, but she is in for a surprise–about her friend and about herself. The black-and-white illustrations are charming, and thumbnail sidebars present fun scientific facts about animals mentioned in the story. Though nothing in this early chapter book is new in a field saturated with "Amber Brown," "Junie B. Jones," and "Judy Moody" books, it holds its own. Emma is a likable character whose feelings and behaviors are common to many children. A sequel is planned.–Linda Zeilstra Sawyer, Skokie Public Library, ILCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.