I just love Ann Martin, and this book made me love her even more. She has written a fantastic story about sisters and family. Pearl is the younger, 4th grade sister to middle school age Lexie. Pearl tries hard (usually) but just can’t understand why Lexie acts the way she does. When the girls’ grandpa comes to live with them in their cozy apartment, the girls are forced to share a room. Pearl is thrilled with the chance to observed Lexie up close. Now, just maybe, she can figure out her big sister once and for all!

Older fans of Beezus and Ramona books will love this sweet, but realistic, look at the complicated relationship between big and little sisters. A perfect book for 3rd-6th grade girls.

Outstanding!  A brand-new prequel to the Babysitters Club series.  I loved it and now I want to re-read the series again.  Fans young and old will appreciate this new addition to a classic series.

Those of you who only know Ann M. Martin from the Babysitters Club series will be in for a pleasant surprise if you look for books written by Martin more recently. She has written several excellent books, (not that the BSC books weren’t excellent in their own right, but. . .), including one Newbery Honor winner.

A Dog’s Life was, for lack of a better and less cheesy word, delightful to read. It tells the story of Squirrel, a stray dog. Squirrel and her brother head off as puppies on their own, and have many good and bad adventures as they look for food and a warm place to sleep. What I appreciated about this book is that Martin didn’t attempt to personify the dogs. They didn’t talk, engage in witty banter, or even demonstrate many human-like emotions. Instead, Martin let the dogs be dogs, and just told their story.