THE LAST PRESENT by Wendy Mass

The events from 11 Birthdays, Finally, and 13 Gifts wrap up in this Willow Falls story with all of the folks from earlier stories. Leo and Amanda can finally talk to each other, which is a good thing because Angelina is sending them back in time to each of  Grace's birthday parties to fix things that have gone wrong. Now Grace is in some sort of coma and no one knows why.

Fun story, good mystery. There are some funny moments that are possible in this story because there's a group of kids working together who all know about Angelina and her "projects." There's some romance (kissing, hand-holding) between the kids in the story. I haven't read the other books in the series for awhile, but I was able to follow this story without difficulty even though I don't remember the other stories in detail.

4 out of 5 stars
No AR Reading Level at this time

* I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

MONDAY: Finally by Wendy Mass

Summary
Rory has been waiting forever to be 12. She's heard "Well, you can do that when you are 12," so many times, she started writing them all down and keeping them in a special box. But the day has FINALLY arrived. She is 12. Now she can go to a boy/girl party, get her ears pierced, stay alone in the house, babysit, get a cell phone, and more. Even more excellent, her favorite movie star is filming at her school! But some of those special things she's been waiting for for years don't turn out quite like Rory planned. 


Review
Of the three Willow Falls books, this was probably my favorite. This story was unusual because Rory doesn't really recognize what is happening until all the pieces come together in the end. Through most of the story it is one disaster after another. But you get glimpses of Rory's character as she interacts with different people in the story. And she starts to think more critically about her list of things she wants to do now that she is 12, evaluating if she really wants to do those things, or if she only liked the idea of them. This story makes me want to read 13 Gifts again to see where this story fits in the "series."


4 out of 5 stars
AR level of 4.6


Recommended for: fans of the other Willow Falls stories or the author's other stories.


Cautions:  None

MONDAY: 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

Summary
Amanda and Leo are about to celebrate their 11th birthdays - on the same day, but alone. It didn't use to be this way. They used to be inseparable. They have been together for every birthday since the day they were born. But on the day they turned 10, Amanda heard Leo say some hurtful things about her and they haven't spoken since. 
But this birthday has gotten a little weird. Every day, when Amanda wakes up, it's her 11th birthday again. Okay, I guess that's a lot weird. Amanda and Leo will have to put their past behind them and dig into the past of their ancestors to get to the bottom of what is happening to them if they ever hope to see the day AFTER their 11th birthday.


Review
Fun story! The idea of reliving a day until someone gets it right is a familiar one, but it is done with a twist here because Amanda and Leo eventually get to work on the problem together and because there's an historic element to it. I like the relationship between Amanda and Leo and it was nice to get some of the backstory I was missing when I read 13 Gifts. Great start to the Willow Falls stories.


4 out of 5 stars
AR level of 4.1


Recommended for: Fans of Wendy Mass' other books, or other books that take place in Willow Falls, readers who enjoy stories with a little bit of magic to them.


Cautions: None

MONDAY: 13 Gifts by Wendy Mass

Summary
Tara was just trying to fit in. Sure, she knew trying to steal the goat was wrong, but if it got her in with the cool crowd, maybe her mother would get off her case.
Instead, she gets caught and shipped off to her parents' home town to stay with her aunt, uncle and cousin. Nothing goes right for Tara. She loses her money and her mom's iPod, she tries to dishonestly get some money to fix things and gets caught again. Now she owes a weird woman a crazy favor. Tara's going to need the help of the family she hardly knows and her new friends if she is going to pull off the favor by her 13th birthday.


Review
This is the third book that takes place in Willow Falls, but the first one I read, so there were several references to books I hadn't read. I was still able to follow the story and it only made me want to read the others. I loved the characters - what a great group of kids in this story! I thought the author did a great job of bringing a lot of little pieces together in an ending that was satisfying (for the most part - some plot points leave you hanging for, presumably, another book.) I love how the kids pull together to help Tara, even though they don't really know her. 


4 out of 5 stars.
AR level of 4.5


Recommended for: readers 10 and up, readers who like stories with a little "magic" in them. The author also wrote one of my all time favorite books for kids, The Candymakers. Fans of her other stories might enjoy this one as well. 


Cautions: None.