Sophie Hartley and the Facts of Life
With tension and snarkiness on the rise in the Hartley household, Mom cheerfully seizes an opportunity to take a business trip and leave Dad in charge of their five children. Meanwhile, Sophie and her fourth-grade classmates try to process rumors about the puberty film shown each year to fifth-graders. In this wryly amusing, perceptive story, Greene captures the viewpoint of a preteen who, after observing her older siblings in action, is in no hurry to become a teenager. Still, Sophie grows up a little in this chapter book, which is a solid addition to the consistently entertaining Sophie Hartley series. Grades 4-6. --Carolyn Phelan