11 Birthdays

By Wendy Mass

Rating: 3 3/4 stars

A story about friendship with a magical twist. Amanda and Leo have been celebrating their birthdays together since the day they were born and are the best of friends. But on their 10th birthday, Amanda overhears Leo slagging her off to his guy friends and she is crushed. In despair she leaves the party and refuses to speak to him for an entire year. Now, it is her 11th birthday and for the first time ever, she is celebrating it separately, and true to her feelings, it is a miserable day. Imagine her surprise when the next morning is her 11th birthday again! At first she thinks it is a joke, but then Amanda realizes she is actually reliving the day. And it happens the next day, too, and the one after that. Then suddenly, Amanda discovers that Leo is having the same experience. The two meet and realize they need to make up and try and figure what is happening to them, but each explanation they come up with is crazier than the last. But as each day dawns another 11th birthday, the friends realize that reliving a day can be fun and terrible and fantastic all at once. Then they discover their ancestors used to feud with one another. Can ancient history be affecting their present day? And what about that mysterious old lady who is always lurking? At the core, it is a story about friends and about doing the right thing, and readers will be drawn into the unusual twist of repeating the same day in time. Entertaining, although not particularly realistic!