Happy Birthday, Sophie Hartley

July 1, 2010
Gr 3–5—-ophie Hartley is about to reach her all-important double-digit birthday. When she decides she wants a baby gorilla for her present, she researches how to care for it and starts planning and plotting. When her busy parents pay more attention to her brother getting a car for his 16th birthday, and her 13-year-old sister moving into her own room, Sophie's yearning for attention snowballs. With her birthday looming on the horizon, she tells friends and classmates that she is getting a gorilla and then is backed into a corner, needing to produce one or be branded a liar. Readers with siblings are sure to identify with Sophie and her siblings bickering and jockeying for attention. This title stands alone but will be celebrated by those following the protagonist's earlier trials and tribulations. Fans of Clementine, Judy Moody, and Ramona will also want to unwrap this gem of a story and savor the delicious conclusion.—"Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.