Title: Willow Falls Series:11 Birthdays
Finally
13 Gifts
The Last Present
Author: Wendy Mass
Previous Work:
Twice Upon a Time Series
A Mango Shaped Space
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
Every Soul a Star
The Candymakers
And too many more books to list
Summary:
11 Birthdays- Amanda and Leo have been best friends
their entire life, but they have a horrible fight for a year
before their eleventh birthday. Amanda just wants to get
her first birthday without Leo done and over with. When
she wakes up the next day, it's her birthday again. What's
going on?
Finally- Rory has been waiting her whole life to turn twelve.
When she turns twelve she can do all the cool things she
wants to. Like sitting in the front seat, or getting her ears
pierced. But seemingly, everything on the list goes wrong
and Rory is beginning to think growing up isn't what she
thought it would be like.
13 Gifts- When Tara tries to steal her school's goat, she's sent
to Willow Falls to do her penance. She finds herself indebted
to Angelina D'Angelo, who gives her a list of wacky items to
gather. With the help of new friends David, Rory, Amanda,
and Leo, she might find the items she needed- and possibly
more.
The Last Present: Amanda and Leo need to travel to the past
to save Grace, who is in a coma. They must place a
benediction on her three times to save her- or so Angelina
D'Angelo says. All is not as it seems, and the two must
decide what is the right thing to do.
Rating: This series is (overall) a 4.
Awards:
(For 11 Birthdays- wins, not nominations)
2010 Northborough Southborough Children's Book Award
2011 Massachusetts Children's Book Award
2011 The Black Eyed Susan Award
2011 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award
2012 South Carolina Children's Book Award
2012 Oregon Readers’ Choice Award
2012 Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award
2012 Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Award
2012 Tennesee Volunteer State Book Award
2012 Young Hoosier Award
2012 William Allen White Children’s Book Award
2012 Alabama Camellia Children’s Choice Book Award
2013 Maud Hart Lovelace Award
(For 13 Gifts)
2014 Garden State Children’s Book Award
Opinion: These books were really popular when I was
younger, but I was never interested in reading them. Their
popularity dimmed and I stopped hearing about them.
One day I was in the library, and saw Finally. I thought,
"Why not?". I read it and never went back. Wendy Mass
has a way of weaving memorable stories and characters
that grab you and don't let go. I've now read seven of her
books total and can't recommend them more.
