Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. They will recognize themselves and their friends and may decide that when it comes to forging friendships, honesty works better than fanciful tales.-Lillian Hecker, Town of Pelham Public Library, NY © Copyright 2016.

VERDICT This is a good book to give to middle schoolers, especially young women on the verge of puberty. At last, Lia becomes her own person and learns to be more discerning about whom she befriends. Aunt Shelby provides wise counsel when she tells Lia that not all friendships last, but clearing the air is still necessary. Some adult intervention becomes necessary when the group implodes due to lies, cruel taunts, and mockery. Her characters talk and act like young adolescents. Dee has a keen ear for middle school worries. When the five girls are reunited, the meanness continues, and during a game of Truth or Dare, Lia lies and tells the group she got her period and kissed a teenage boy. Aunt Shelby tells Lia about her past painful experiences in middle school when Abi's mother bullied her. In order to avoid 'girl talk,' Lia refuses to attend sleepaway camp and instead goes to Maine to stay with her aunt Shelby, a New Age believer who uses crystals and herbal cures. At the center of the group is Abi, who is mean and moody and says provocative things. Told from Lia's point of view, this title follows five seventh graders, all focused on belonging and keeping up friendships that are beginning to fray. But facts are facts, and Lia still has no boobs, and her first period has yet to arrive. And after an opening night disaster leads to a heartbreaking discovery, Wren realizes that her mother has a serious problem-a problem that can’t be wiped away or covered up.Gr 5-8-Lia, a seventh grader, cannot bear the idea that her friends have reached puberty before her. And what’s worse, Wren keeps getting hints that things aren’t going well at her new job at the hospital, where her mom is a nurse. She’s taking a lot of naps, starts snapping at Wren for no reason, and always seems to be sick. And things seem to fall into place when Wren meets potential friends and gets selected as the makeup artist for her school’s upcoming production of Wicked. So, when Wren and her mom move to a new town for a fresh start, she is cautiously optimistic. A girl whose parents aren’t divorced and doesn’t have to learn to like her new stepmom.

A girl who isn’t in a sort-of-best friendship with someone who seems like she hates her. When she is experimenting with new looks, Wren can create a different version of herself. Twelve-year-old Wren loves makeup-special effect makeup, to be exact. From the author of the acclaimed My Life in the Fish Tank and Maybe He Just Likes You comes a moving and relatable middle grade novel about secrets, family, and the power of forgiveness.

Violets Are Blue by Barbara Dee