Cactus's Secret, Vol. 1
When Miku tries to confess her love to a boy, he misunderstands her and offers to let her practice her love confession on him. How can a girl get through to a boy who is so clueless? And is it even worth liking him? Haruta's cute romance series was written when she was just finishing up high school, but other than a slight addition to screentones, nothing in the series seems amateur or juvenile. Miku is a smart, appealing lead, even if her reasons for bettering herself come from her crush on a boy. Kyohei, for his part, is adorably airheaded, and it's easy for readers to see why Miku would fall for him. Haruta doesn't break new ground, staying close to the shojo romance formula, but she's got a breezy style that makes for refreshing reading. With art reminiscent of Natsumi Ando's Kitchen Princess and a mismatched pairing that should grab the attention of fans of Aya Nakahara's Love*Com, this first book hints that Haruta's four-volume manga series should be an easy, light addition to manga collections. Grades 7-12. --Snow Wildsmith