Dawn on the Coast

Publication Date: 2026

Ghostwriter? The original novel was ghostwritten by Jan Car, but the text copyright is still given to Ann M. Martin

Illustrator: Arley Nopra

Synopsis:

No real changes from the original book.

Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan): 

Claudia candy: none mentioned, but at a meeting of the We ♥ Kids Club, Dawn enjoys apple slices with natural peanut butter (the girl offering them specifies that it's natural peanut butter--awkward, as it would be normal for her, but making a point to the reader about healthy snacks being more common with Dawn's California friends), as well as carrot sticks. 

Dawn in her room:

I like the illustration of the BSC hanging out, showcasing their different interests and personalities:

Their Families:

Trip-man mention!

The Pike family:

The Club (and clients): 

The Perkinses, Newtons, and Feldmans:

SMS: school break

PSA Time: nothing stood out

Misc:

Martin uses the dedication page to state "I would like to thank Jan Carr for her help in writing this book."

Nopra dedicates the book to "my family outside Ontario--the Sangalangs, Rullodas, Magnos, Asodisens, Reyeses, Duldulaos, Laurentes, Hernandezes, Fajardos, and Nopras: I fondely remembered our vacations together while working on this book. I treasure all the joyful moments we've shared and look forward to our next reunion!"

In the Karen's Surprise (the Baby-sitters Little Sister graphic novel published the same year as this), a classmate mentions visiting "Wander World" in Florida. Dawn goes to "Wander Land" in California. In the original BSC book, it's just Disneyland. And that font sure is reminiscent of something...

The We ♥ Kids Club, with (left to right) Maggie, Sunny, and Jill.

Dawn baby-sitting for her old charges, Clover and Daffodil:

The secret tunnel at Dawn's house (I'm still sad The Ghost at Dawn's House wasn't adapted to a graphic novel):

Karen's Surprise (LSGN#12)

Publication date: 2026

Illustrator: Shauna Grant

Synopsis:

Karen's class is putting on a school play for Thanksgiving. Rather than have tryouts, names are simply drawn out of a hat for the different parts. Karen's annoyed to be assigned the role of turkey (a roast turkey; most of the class are various Thanksgiving dinner foods) and only be able to be on stage for a little bit. With some inspiration from Kristy, Karen writes a little song for the food to sing. Everyone's happy with it, especially the students now get to have a more satisfying part in the play.

But Karen surprises everyone during the play by busting out a long solo (everyone had a line or two; Karen does a whole dance number). Her classmates and teacher are upset with her, but no one in the audience knows she wasn't supposed to do that. Her teacher talks to Karen about the importance of staying in her lane and not potentially causing a group effort to go off the rails, and Karen seems to understand.

Meanwhile, there's the question of what to do for the holiday itself. Both Karen's mom and Karen's dad want her and Andrew to have Thanksgiving dinner with them, and on the actual date, so Karen and Andrew are going to have two Thanksgiving dinners. Two little kids, with (age-appropriate) poor self-control, given access to a bunch of their favorite foods, and rushed from one place to another and back (not evening spending the night at their dad's). Maybe this sort of thing is why Karen and Andrew's parents divorced.

After Karen and Andrew feel guilty for leaving their grandparents at their mom's house and delaying dinner for the hungry family at their dad's house, and then being too tired and full to enjoy anything, their parents do realize their mistake and apologize for putting their wants ahead of the kids' needs. They promise to be more careful the future.

Continuity related to BSC books: 

The Baby-sitters Club is mentioned in passing.

Misc:

Martin dedicates the book to "Susan and Ashley, who keep my life from being too surprising. Thank you."

Grant dedicates the book to "Nola, Lola, and the niblings in my life. Keep reaching for your dreams!"

While she can be a brat, it's easy to feel bad for Karen when you see how often she has to comfort her brother who's not that much younger than she is.

Karen and her class in costume:

Jessi Ramsey, Pet Sitter (GN#18)

Publication Date: 2025

Ghostwriter? No, the text copyright is for Ann M. Martin.

Illustrator: Ellen T. Crenshaw with color by Braden Lamb and Beniam C. Hollman

Synopsis:

No real changes from the original book, just a few "modern" updates like the talking parrot mimicking a commercial that's clearly for cell phones, and Jessi's mom having a cell phone. The drawings of the pets are great!

Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan): 

Claudia candy: 

Jessi's oft-forgotten reading glasses!

Their Families: 

Jessi and Becca with their first pet, Misty the hamster. I like that Becca is sporting a protective hairstyle:

The Club (and clients): 

Jamie Newton and Nina Marshall, with Mrs. Perkins (her dog escaped):

Gabby and Myriah Perkins, with the Mancusis' snake:

The club voting on whether they should switch roles:

SMS: nothing stood out

PSA Time: nothing stood out

Misc:

Martin dedicates this book to her friends "Nicole, Anna, Rebecca, Katie, and Alison" and Crenshaw to "Paloma, Sam, and Rini. You bring me joy and inspiration every day!"

The menagerie:

Karen's Ghost (LSGN #11)

Publication date: 2025

Illustrators: D. K. Yingst, with color by Braden Lamb

Synopsis:

Halloween is coming, and Karen could hardly be more excited. Her class is going to mark the occasion by telling scary stories. Despite it not being a competition, Karen is determined to have the scariest one. With Kristy's help, she researches her great-grandfather, Ben Brewer, whose ghost is said to haunt the attic of her father's house. According to a diary (written by Ben's son) that they find, Ben's ghost holds a birthday party every ten years on his birthday--this Halloween is the next one!

When the night finally arrives, Karen lays awake (sneaking a bit of candy), and sure enough, she hears noises and even smells cake baking. And the diary is in her room when she wakes up. In the morning, she reports this to her family, only to find mundane explanations for everything--her stepmother baked a cake in the middle of the night to celebrate Emily Michelle being able to count to ten (...'kay), older kids were setting off fireworks, etc. 

However, the diary itself is left unexplained, as is the fact that Karen notices a few pages stuck together that she and Kristy hadn't seen before. Peeling them apart, Karen learns that as a child, Ben had a fight with a close friend and uninvited him from his tenth birthday party. Before they could make, the friend died. According to the diary, that friend's ghost haunted Ben for the rest of this life, and in death, Ben has a party every ten years to appease his friend's ghost.

Continuity related to BSC books: 

Stoneybrook having been originally spelled with an E ("Stoneybrooke") comes up from time to time in the BSC books.

Misc:

Martin dedicates the book to Paula.

Grant dedicates the book to "my mom, who handmade all my Halloween costumes, and my dad, who firmly believes full-size candy bars are the best treats. And thank you to Rachael and Karmyn; I enjoyed going trick-or-treating with you as I wrote this book."

Emily Michelle is in this book more than she has been in most others (including most of the Baby-sitter Club books).

My brother's birthday is on Halloween, like Ben Brewer. Mine is shortly after--my mom dressed as a jack-o-lantern the year I was born.

Karen's Prize (LSGN#10)

Publication date: 2025

Ghostwriter for the original novel: Stephanie Calmenson

Illustrators: Shauna J. Grant, with color by Braden Lamb

Synopsis:

Karen's class is going to have a spelling bee, and the winner will go on compete in a school-wide bee, and the winner in a county-wide bee, and the winner of THAT one will compete for the state title. Karen, being not only a good speller but also competitive, is beyond excited. She studies hard, and wins the class bee. 

Karen has every right to be proud of her hard work, but she quickly gets obnoxious and condescending about it. Andrew rightly calls her out on being a sore winner, and while Karen briefly thinks about not letting it go to her head, the lesson doesn't stick long. In her defense, Karen gets some pretty mixed signals from her teacher after winning the next round: the same day the teacher has a party specifically to honor Karen's achievements, she ineffectually makes a vague attempt to talk about winning graciously. Her friends start to get tired of the bragging--being proud is one thing, but Karen is being prideful. Karen goes on to win the county spelling bee, despite nearly losing her concentration when she hears Emily Michelle crying in the audience. After, the preschooler cheers for Karen, who immediately berates her for the interruption. Ouch.

Karen must feel a little chagrined; she resolves to not bring up the spelling bee and just politely say "thank you" when congratulated. Her friend thaw a bit toward her, but Karen can't control her competitive streak and tries to make contest out of simple playground games. Her friends give her the cold shoulder again.

Finally, it's the night of the state spelling bee. Karen feels confident, even cocky, but comes in second. She has a heart-to-heart with Kristy, who both helps her figure out how to make up for being a sore winner and feel good about herself for doing as well as she did. Second-best speller in the state is nothing to sneeze at!

Continuity related to BSC books: brief mention of the BSC

Misc:

Grant dedicates the book to "my friends, my sisters. Thank you for your endless love and support."

Unlike the others, this book is written in present tense. It's weird.

In second or third grade, my teacher held the spelling bee a few days early, to pass time during a power outage. I won it, but a classmate's mother complained about it being held early which she found unfair and we had to redo it. I didn't win that time. Neither did the classmate. For the record, that classmate wasn't upset and tried to stop her mom from complaining. She and I are actually friends to this day; she's a very nice person.

There were a couple words I misspelled while typing this. It bothered me more than it should have!

At first I thought it was odd that there were only eight contestants in the final round, but it turns out Connecticut only had eight counties when this was published as a chapter book in 1990. It now has nine "councils of government" which replaced its eight counties in 2022. The only states with fewer counties are Delaware (three), Hawaii (five), and Rhode Island (five). The average number of counties or equivalents per state is 62. Texas has the most with 254, while Georgia is a distant second at 159. My state, Washington, has 39.

One of my nephews has won his school's spelling bee (all grades competing kindergarten though eighth grade) a couple times. But his classmates happily cheer him on, so he must not be a sore winner; good for him!

Karen's Grandmothers (LSGN #9)

Publication date: 2024

Ghostwriter? No, the text copyright is for Ann M. Martin

Illustrators: D.Y. Yingst, with color by Braden Lamb

Synopsis:

Karen's class is participating in an "adopt a grandparent" program, pairing the students with residents at a nearby nursing home. Karen's excited, figuring she'll set a record for number of grandmothers, since she already has four: her parents' two mothers and her stepparents' two mothers. But why is Nancy so reluctant? She has such a small family--just her and her parents. Surely she'd want a grandparent, right?

Turns out, Nancy is afraid of old people. She says sometimes she wishes she had grandparents, but she also worries she'd be afraid of them, too. Determined to help her friend, Karen writes to her granny (her stepdad's mother, in Nebraska), describing Nancy and asking if Granny would like to be a penpal grandmother. That would help feel connected to someone and gradually get used to older people.

Meanwhile, Karen gets to know Grandma B, her adopted grandmother at the nursing home. When she returns home one day, there's a letter from Granny--she's agreed to be Nancy's penpal grandmother, and sent her a letter! Full of pictures... Karen didn't get a nice long letter with pictures from Grandma B. And Granny sends Nancy personalized mittens that she knit. Grandma B just talks about her other grandchildren (who live in another state). But Nancy is excited, so Karen tries not to feel jealous.

A solution presents itself when Karen's class visits the nursing home to put on a play for the residents. Though nervous, Nancy soldiers on, even meeting Grandma B--who, it turns out, is Jewish, just like Nancy and her family. They actually have quite a bit in common, far more than Karen did, and they get along really well. It doesn't take long for Grandma B to be invited to temple with the Dawes family, and when Karen starts a different extracurricular activity, Nancy has officially adopted Grandma B, and Karen's back to four grandmothers. 

Continuity related to BSC books: nothing stood out beyond the description of the family dynamics of the Brewer household.

Misc:

Martin dedicates this book to Bethany Buck, "who helps make Karen come alive." Yingst dedicates it to "my mom and dad. Congratulations on the birth of your first grandchild, my niece, Eloise Rose."

Karen may have five grandmothers, but I've had six with an argument to be made for seven. Not all at once though: my paternal grandfather survived his first two wives, marrying again after they died. My maternal grandparents divorced and both remarried. My maternal grandfather married a third time after his second wife died, and my mom's stepdad also remarried after her mom died. Her stepdad and his second wife don't have a traditional grandparent relationship with me, but they are definitely part of the family as well as very nice people.

I do love that Karen thinks of her stepgrandparents as family, and vice versa. While my household is the "traditional" nuclear family, my parents grew up in blended families (their siblings include full, half, step, and adopted siblings). But beyond it being a trivia point, it's never mattered to use whether we're related by blood, and I love seeing that attitude presented so casually. (One of them went by Granny to pretty much everyone who wasn't her child, so it's funny to me that Nancy feels like she should come up with her own name for Karen's granny, calling her "Big Mama" instead.)

Grandma B

The Three Musketeers

Mallory and the Trouble with Twins (GN#17)

Publication Date: 2025

Ghostwriter? No, the text copyright is for Ann M. Martin.

Illustrator: Arly Nopra with color by Braden Lamb and Jason Caffoe

Synopsis:

Pretty close to the original book, with cute fashion drawings.

Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan): nothing stood out

Claudia candy: no candy, but Claudia does hide the earrings she made under her bed.

Their Families: 

The Pikes in their ten-person van:

The Club (and clients): 

The club is introduced in past tense. It's weird. "The president was Kristy Thomas" instead of "The president is Kristy Thomas."

Logan and Shannon:

SMS: 

School hallway:

PSA Time: nothing stood out

Misc:

Martin dedicates this book to the "Palladinoas and Ameses, especially Kathy" and Nopra to "everyone on an exciting journey of self-discovery."

It starts:

Interesting; it was a piercing gun in the original book but this updated to use the more modern piercing technique. Still no parents needed. When my daughters got their ears pierced, we went to a piercing studio (this is in a mall) and the studio required a parent or guardian plus a birth certificate, because they won't pierce kids under eight.

Girl of the Year 2025: Summer Gets to Work

Author: Clare Hutton 

Illustrators: Maike Plenzke and Allison Steinfeld
Published: 2025

Summary

Summer's still enjoying making and selling baked goods, and it's going well enough that she and her best friend Daisy think they'll be able to raise the funds to attend an "animal camp" where they'll learn about taking care of animals by shadowing veterinarians--from common pets to zoo animals. Soon the pair are busy advertising their various pet services (homemade pet treats, walking, grooming, training) and preparing for an upcoming craft fair. Plus, Summer's still volunteering at the animal shelter. For someone whose nickname is Vacation, she's not resting much!

Furthermore, being ten, Summer and Daisy come up against some obstacles. They don't quite know how to communicate their needs without feeling rude or pushy, and they overcommit themselves. They make a bit of progress when the have a couple conversations with adults who are very understanding that the girls are close to burn-out (e.g.; Summer is going to take a break from volunteering at the pet shelter). But the two them still can't communicate well with each. 

Things come to a head when the two are baking and Daisy gets embarrassed at not being able to decorate the dog treats as well as Summer, and Summer can't find a diplomatic way to tell her. After a heart-to-heart with her mom and a chance to cool off, Summer is able to patch things up with Daphne. They agree that some things they can do together, but others are best leaving the business partners to their individual strengths. 

Thanks to working together but not necessarily identically, Summer and Daisy raise enough money at the craft fair for the camp--and then some!

Misc 

The author dedicates her book to "Alicia Hutton, rescuer of lonely cats."

Katie Flory, who works for the Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Janear Garrus, who founded the Chesapeake Educational Alliance and works with homeschoolers, both advised on the book.

The copy I got from the library has some weird printing issues. There are a few pages where the letters appear to be reprint almost on top of themselves, making the words slightly doubled and blurry.

The book is full of little hints and tricks for working with and understanding dogs and cats and keeping them happy and healthy.

The end of the book has a couple recipes for cat treats, and a personality quiz designed to help young girls see what sorts of businesses they might be good at.

Girl of the Year 2025: My Journal by Summer McKinny

 Author: Clare Hutton 

Illustrators: Maike Plenzke and Allison Steinfeld
Published: 2025

Summary

Summer McKinny is a ten-year-old girl growing up in Columbia, Maryland. Through her journal, we learn about how she convinced her parents to let her adopt a dog, showing that she was responsible and trustworthy. Her dog, Crescent, is a year old as the journal starts (in September). Things are going well, and Summer can't wait for her Aunt Olivia to visit while their mom is away on a business trip!

But Aunt Olivia brings a surprise: her cat (it doesn't seem like Summer's parents knew, either). Crescent isn't used to cats, and Fettucine (the cat) isn't used to dogs. Plus, Aunt Olivia used to be scared of dogs, and is still pretty nervous around them. 

This all seems well-planned...

Summer doesn't think it's fair that Crescent has to be outside so much, because Fettucine keeps escaping the guest room Aunt Olivia's staying in. And she's worried that all the bonding Aunt Olivia and Summer's older sister, Holly, are doing over the cat. Is Summer being pushed out? But she has plenty of good things going on as well: with her dad's permission, she starts a dog-walking business that she loves, and she volunteers regularly at the shelter where she got Crescent. There's also a contest at an upcoming craft fair that Summer just knows she can win--she'll make homemade dog treats!

Of course, that's a lot for one ten-year-old. On her aunt's advice (Aunt Olivia owns a small business), Summer delegates some tasks to Holly, paying her to walk the dogs some days. That goes pretty well until one day when Fettucine escapes (Summer gets the cat back, and learns that the cat has diabetes in the process). Holly blames Summer, and doesn't want to work for her anymore. It becomes a whole thing until Summer gets some advice from the pet shelter, and the sisters are able to move past their fight and work together. And Crescent and Fettucine learn to enjoy each other's company!

The craft fair is coming up too, and Aunt Olivia provides guidance for Summer. She ends up winning the prize for best business presentation, and her mom arrives home from her trip in time to see it happen.

Before Aunt Olivia heads home, she has a surprise (that she explicitly says she cleared with brother and sister-in-law): it's a senior cat from the shelter! Summer and Holly are thrilled that they now have two pets to love.

Misc 

The author dedicates her book to "Fiona, who wishes she had a dog."

Katie Flory, who works for the Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Jannear Garrus, who founded the Chesapeake Educational Alliance and works with homeschoolers, both advised on the book.

Summer was born on the first day of summer. Her sister Holly was born on the first day of winter.

My mother-in-law asked me if I'm a dog person or a cat person. I've decided that overall, I'm a lazy person. Cats are good if you want to really lean into that since they don't need as much work (especially short-haired cats), and dogs are good if you want motivation to do things like go for a walk. At the moment, I have two cats and one dog.

There's a lot of tidbits about good business practices sprinkled throughout the book, like keeping track of expenses and marketing.

The end of the book has a recipe for dog treats, and an interview with a nine-year-old business owner.

Kristy and the Walking Disaster (GN#16)

Publication Date: 2024

Ghostwriter? No, the text copyright is for Ann M. Martin.

Illustrator: Ellen T. Crenshaw with color by Braden Lamb and Jason Caffoe

Synopsis:

Pretty close to the original book--although something about this version was way easier to read. It's not as boring in this format.

Established or continued in this book:

The Girls (and Logan):

Claudia candy: She's seen looking for some under her bed, and finding a long-lost paintbrush

Kristy's squeamish reaction to loose teeth is still intact:

Their Families: 

Angry Boo-Boo!

It's not good to let Karen do things like this. It's going to make life difficult for her in the long run.

The Club (and clients): 

Club meeting, with Tigger--who escapes to Janine's room:

The Rodowsky family, without red hair. And Kristy even references it by still calling Archie "red." No, you're not The Shawshank Redemption, you're one of the most boring BSC books; you don't get to do that.
(For those not in the know, the character of Red in the book is so named because he has red hair, but Morgan Freeman was--perfectly--cast to play him in the movie, and being Black, does not have red hair. In the movie he's asked why he's called Red and jokes, "Maybe it's 'cause I'm Irish." A blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment also reveals his last name to be Redding.)

SMS: nothing new

PSA Time: nothing stood out

Misc:

Martin dedicates this book to the "members of the Lunch Club" and Crenshaw to "Mom and Dad. Thank you for evening readings of the comics pages; for grammar lessons, swing dancing, sing-alongs, and endless hands of rummy. Most of all, thank you for enthusiastically supporting my career as an artist."

I love the way American Sign Language is portrayed throughout the book. The bolded words are the ones being signed, and they're drawn well.

Karen's Sleepover (LSGN#8)

 Publication date: 2024

Ghostwriter? No, the text copyright is for Ann M. Martin

Illustrators: Katy Farina

Synopsis:

Karen is set to host her first sleepover party, and of course is beyond excited. She brainstorms with Kristy about what to do, and even hand-writes invitations and mails them. But Nancy doesn't get hers, and gets furious about feeling left out--all the other girls in the class got invitations! She does it get a few days later, but Karen's already so mad at Nancy's behavior over something completely out of Karen's control (she mailed them all the same day from the same place) that she un-invites Nancy. They're not best friends anymore; they're best enemies. 

It's a stupid fight, but a completely believable one for seven-year-olds.

Distraction comes in the form of Pamela Harding, a new girl to the class. She's super cool and sophisticated. Naturally, Karen is eager to befriend her, and invites her to the sleepover. The big day arrives, but Karen and her other friends quickly notice that Pamela is too busy acting too mature for everything to have fun, and makes them feel like babies for liking what they do. After talking with Kristy for a bit, Karen calls Nancy and they make up, and she comes over to rescue the party. She's able to let the snide comments roll off her back (e.g.; Pamela says she only sleeps in beds, not sleeping bags; Nancy calmly says, "How boring.") and get the party back on track. The next day after the other classmates have gone home, Karen, Nancy, and Hannie reflect that they've had a few fights, usually over silly things. They vow to become the Three Musketeers, and be friends for life.

Continuity related to BSC books:

"Kristy and her friends in the Baby-sitters Club have lots of sleepovers." True.

Misc:

Martin dedicates this book in honor of "the birth of Emma Feiwel" and Farina to "all the readers who have joined me on my adventures with Karen."

Drawings of Angry Boo-Boo are always gold.

Pamela Harding:

Subtle but sweet touch: Charlie is holding Andrew and Emily Michelle on his lap to read them a book.

Julie and the Blue Guitar

Published in 2024; author Casey Gilly; illustrator Felia Hanakata; with layout by Sarah Stern, coloring by Sunbiscuit, and lettering by Joamette Gil

Plot

Fifth-grader Emma Dhillon has just moved to San Francisco, to an apartment in the building where Julie used to live with her mom. The building now has a thrift shop, where Emma finds Julie's old diary. She and Julie have a lot in common, most notably their parents' recent divorces. Through the diary, Emma gets a glimpse into Julie's life during the events of the Julie mystery book The Silver Guitar (the story's not identical, but it's very close and the book jacket mentions it with credit to that author; I'm betting that the color switch was due to wanting a color that stood out more for the graphic novel). Here, the titular guitar is said to have belonged to folk singer Lacey Blick rather than a Jimi Hendrix expy, the Vernons' cat is very sweet instead of spoiled, the Vernons both enthusiastically enjoy collecting a few sentimental and historical items some of which also go missing, and Mrs. Vernon is very nice. The stolen items end up having been hocked to various stores, and Julie and TJ track them down (except for a baseball signed by Willie Mays), eventually linking the thefts to the pair of photographers hired to document the items for the auction.

First page of Julie's journal

As Emma reads the tale in the journal, she's inspired to make a movie about trying to track down Julie. She and her dad travel to some of the places mentioned in the journal--they figure it's a good way to learn about their new home. In the process, Emma, who's naturally very shy, ends up befriending Hana, who helps Emma with research at the library. Not only is Emma able to find Julie, she also finds the autographed baseball--the thieves used to live in the apartment that Emma and her dad moved to, and Emma finds small hidden door, with the baseball behind it. She's able to present it to Julie in person, who in turn contacts the Vernons' nephew (the Vernons have passed away). The nephew lets Emma keep it, and she auctions it off for charity.

Emma meets Julie, who's on the San Francisco city council

Emma finishes her movie, shows it in her new school, and soon has joined the AV club. She's happy to have found a way to both be herself and make friends.

A Peek into the Past

This section talks about some of the famous 70s music stars like Jimi Hendrix, and how they "played hard and died young" leaving valuable memorabilia that has been auctioned for various causes. The 70s also saw a large wave of benefit activities like concerts and other fundraisers to help with everything from school funding to environmental concerns.

Misc

This is the first book a new series, Mysteries Across Time. There is a book featuring Isabel and Nicki...and Bigfoot announced for next year. I hope The X-Files gets a mention; it was not only very popular in their time period but a good chunk of the series was filmed in the Pacific Northwest.
UPDATE JANUARY 2026: Reports indicate that neither this book, nor any other Mysteries Across Time book, will be published.

Special thanks are given to Janelle Asselin, Katherine Cartwright, Jodie Goldberg, Jennifer Hirsch, Vaeries Paulin, Molly Schlichting, and Wendy Walsh for their "invaluable assistance."

The last two pages of the book are a spread informing the reader how graphic novels are made.

One of the items that's featured in the 70s is an antique friendship quilt, which may well be the one from Happy Birthday, Kirsten! 

I like that the librarian is in a wheelchair but it's not a big deal. You'd never know aside from the illustrations--same case for Emma being POC. Visual media is great for this sort of thing.

This is genuinely great representation and I love it

Girl of the Year 2024: Lila Goes for the Gold

Author: Erin Falligant
Illustrator: Vivienne To
Published: 2024

Summary

Lila Monetti is a gymnast growing up in St. Paul, MN. She loves gymnastics, and is aspiring to make the top-level Gold team at her gym. Even better, her best friend Katie is joining the gym! Lila is thrilled when Coach McKenna (yes, it's that McKenna; she's in Minnesota for college) announces a mock meet to try out for the Gold team. But when she and Katie are visiting their favorite horse at a nearby stable, a sound spooks the animal and it steps on Lila's toe, bruising it badly. She still tries to push forward with gymnastics, and injures it more. Now she'll have to sit out a week of practice, and the mock meet is less than a month away. But she practices as she's able, and when the mock meet rolls around, she performs better than she ever has, and makes the Gold team!

Lila's thrilled, and excited for the new challenges that lie ahead. But Katie, who had been on the verge of terrified the whole time, turns out to like neither competition nor the spotlight. And while the two best friends work together to try to keep Coach McKenna from being homesick, they're starting to have less and less in common. Is their friendship in trouble as well as their coach? 

Maybe, especially after Coach McKenna has to rush back to Seattle for a family emergency, leaving the assistant coach in charge. Some of Lila's teammates don't have much faith in her, and Katie's stress leads to her fighting with another teammate. By the time Halloween rolls around, Lila and Katie are barely speaking. They had planned to go trick-or-treating together as a horse, but Lila ends up dressing as a cat to take her younger brother out, and sees Katie with another friend, the two dressed in matching witch costumes.

After a heart-to-heart with her mom about friendships growing and evolving and drifting and coming back together, Lila invites Katie to go with her to the farm to watch some baby goats (which are established earlier as very important to Katie). As they patch things up, they're inspired to help the gymnastics team start working together as a team again. When the big meet happens later in the month, the team is back to its old self, and several of them, including Lila and Katie, earn medals for their efforts.

Misc 

The author dedicates her book to "Heidi Belz, the goat whisperer, and Sarah and her coaching crew at Madtown Twisters."

Halloween takes place on a Thursday, as it will in 2024.

Lila's mother is a nurse at a children's hospital, and works long hours.

McKenna attends the University of Minnesota. A mock interview at the end of the book confirms that she is indeed the 2012 Girl of the Year. I was a little annoyed when I saw the book that there was yet another gymnast during an Olympics year (why not track and field or another sport?) but when the book states that college-age Coach McKenna is from Seattle, it made sense.

The last few pages of the book have tips on creating strong teams and being effect leaders.

Karen's Haircut (LSGN#7)

 Publication date: 2023

Ghostwriter? No, the text copyright is for Ann M. Martin

Illustrators: Katy Farina, with color by Braden Lamb

Synopsis:

Karen's going through an awkward phase: not really used to her glasses yet, teeth falling out and growing in unevenly--she feels ugly. Though her family and friends reassure her, she wants to change something. Her parents agree that she can get a manicure and haircut at a salon. The pampering initially makes Karen feel good, but the haircut ends up vastly different from what she wanted (this despite her bringing in a reference picture--I'd be so upset!). Karen is so embarrassed by her hair. She tries to stay strong, but her class definitely notices. She gets teased, and her friend Hannie says that with the haircut, Karen can't be in her "wedding" she has planned with another classmate. Karen dresses in her best outfit and tries going by a different, elegant name (Tiffanie, then Krystal, then Gazelle, then Chantal), but everyone has trouble remembering--except Ricky, who initially teased Karen's new appearance. But Hannie still says Karen isn't pretty enough for the wedding.

Karen keeps persisting though, and her perseverance pays off. She starts getting used to some things (like her glasses), and other things start to get better (her hair grows out a little, her teeth start growing in). After two weeks, she feels like Karen again, and Hannie has an epiphany about how unfair she's been to Karen--Hannie herself falls riding her bike and knocks out two teeth. She assumes her "fiancé" Scott won't want to "marry" her anymore, but he says he's "marrying" her, not her teeth. The "wedding" continues as planned, although when David Michael, as the minister, calls for the groom to kiss the bride, both Hannie and Scott protest in disgust.

Perhaps most surprising, Ricky approaches Karen...and asks if they can get "married" some day.

Continuity related to BSC books:

Emily Michelle isn't talking much.

Karen's relationship with Nannie is briefly featured, and it's sweet. I was very close with my grandmother, who was technically my step-grandmother. She passed away a few months ago, and it's nice to see a loving grandparent-grandchild relationship without regard to blood relation.

Misc:

Martin dedicates this book in honor of "the birth of Maxwell Joseph Lieb." Farina dedicates it to "everyone who is finding themselves."

I never played Lovely Ladies like Karen likes to, but a good friend and I did have "tea parties" in first grade at lunchtime. We'd pour whatever drinks into our cups and declare the "tea" a "special family recipe."

Karen's haircut in the graphic novel does look odd on her, and it's uneven. It's also so short that she can't style it much, and will take a while to grow out. But it's not the ugly mullet of the original chapter book!

I never got the thing with the fake weddings that Karen's whole class seems to do. In second grade and younger, there were boys I thought were cute and there were also boys I was friends with, but we never even pretended to date, let along have fake weddings. Although one couple got married a few months before we all graduated high school...