From Willa, With Love

June 1, 2011

Crammed with incident, yet loose and rambling and without much dramatic arc, this slice-of-life novel, the sixth in the series, charts Willa's life, loves and personal growth though part of an event-filled summer.

There's something refreshing and rather fabulous about the slightly dull Willa Havisham books (Willa by Heart, 2008, etc.). They star the nicest, most well-adjusted, dependable 14-year-old in the world, a book-loving girl who does her chores in the family business with good grace, loves the nurturing, community-minded adults in her life and strives to be the best person she can be. She doesn't wear Jimmy Choos, obsess about her weight or, heaven forbid, smoke (anything); instead she tries to come up with a charitable project that's really her. Not to say there's no conflict. Willa wrestles with her feelings about her once-best friend, has minor disagreements with her driven businesswoman mother and is distressed (but also exhilarated) when she finds herself attracted to two boys at the same time. Set in a charming, fictional Cape Cod community, the story strolls along, never generating a great deal of heat or suspense, yet managing to keep readers involved and interested.

Lovers of hip, edgy or meta should look elsewhere, but this story carries its own brand of modest delight for the right reader. (Fiction. 10-15)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

August 1, 2011

Gr 6-9-The latest installment in this series does not contain one driving story line. Instead, it mimics the unstructured summer of its teenage protagonist, Willa Havisham. Among other things, she helps out at her mother's Cape Cod B&B and plans a perfect wedding. She reads Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea and is inspired to make the world a better place by leaving books in public places. She is confused about missing her boyfriend while being attracted to another boy. Her recently discovered half brother dashes off whenever he thinks he sees their presumably dead father. She is fond of her new stepfather, whom she calls "Dad" to his face but "Sam" to herself. Two (adult) friends develop breast cancer. Much exposition explains what happened in the previous books and why Willa cares about particular characters or situations. The church is central to her life and community. Some of this information is relevant to the current story, and some is not. Each chapter begins with a quotation about books and reading, and Willa mentions many books that she is reading and that have affected her. This and an appended booklist will send eager readers in many wonderful directions.-Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2011
Grades 6-9 In the latest Willa Havisham title, 14-year-old Willa's boyfriend and her best friend are away for the summer. Still, reading, helping at her parents' inn, planning a community-minded project, and anticipating her friends' wedding keep her busy. But unexpected challenges arise, including discovering the financial and health troubles of family and friends and new feelings for cute-boy Jess. Series readers especially will again enjoy Willa's descriptive first-person narrative, detailing the Cape Cod setting, diverse characters, and inspiring book-sharing project. Appended is Willa's summer Pix List of reads, referenced throughout, which include Virginia Euwer Wolff's Make Lemonade (1993) and Cynthia Kadohata's Kira-Kira (2004).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)