Eleven Birthdays by Wendy Mass
Summary:
Leo Fitzpatrick and Amanda Ellerby are named after their great-grand parents and born on the same day. Not only did they get their names from them, but they got the unusual gift of always being friends with each other. They celebrate every birthday together each year until their 11th birthday. They got in a fight on their 10th birthday and do not talk to each other for an entire year. On the day of their 11th birthdays they have separate parties planned, which is upsetting to both of them, but neither will admit they miss each other and want to celebrate together. After their parties, they both go to bed, but when they wake up, they realize it's their birthday again. After a few days of repeating their birthdays, they figure out they are the only two who know this is happening. They make up and become friends again as the try and solve the mystery of why they keep having their birthdays over and over again. It is a great story about becoming a tween and the trials and tribulations that go along with growing up. The story has a great ending and is fun to read.
Read it Again?
I would definitely read it again and would recommend it to others. It's a very cute and funny book, with a little suspense through out the book. This book is great for boys or girls to read. It really makes you think about how you act and the things you do for others on a daily basis and how cool it would be to have do overs.
Library Use:
| This is a very easy read and would be liked by boys and girls in 4th and 5th grade. It would be fun to have a birthday party in the library to celebrate this book and other books about birthdays. |
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Reviews:
| Publisher's Weekly 12/22/2008 |
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Like a Groundhog Day for middle grade readers, Mass's (Every Soul a Star) winning story features a girl seemingly trapped in her 11th birthday. Amanda seems doomed to relive her failed try-out for the gymnastics team, her mother being fired from her job and, worst of all, the party that even her best friend leaves early-to go to the party hosted by her former friend, Leo. The two have celebrated every previous birthday together (they were born on the same day), but a misunderstanding on their 10th has gone unresolved. After several repeats of the day, Amanda and Leo realize they are in this mess together and must work as a team. Girls will relate to Amanda's insecurities, and the confidence and insights she gains will resonate with them. Mass's expertise with pacing keeps the story moving at a lively clip, and her understanding of this age group is as finely honed as ever. Ages 9-12.
*Starred Review* Amanda and Leo, born on the same day, have celebrated their birthdays together for 10 years. Still feeling hurt from an unkind remark Leo made at last year's party, Amanda spends her eleventh birthday without her now-estranged friend to share the fun. In the days that follow, both Amanda and Leo discover that they are caught in a time loop, waking up each morning to find themselves repeating their eleventh birthdays. They soon renew their friendship and begin to experiment by making different choices throughout the day, partly for the thrill of acting without long-term consequences and partly from their fear of never escaping this mysterious time trap. From the double-entendre title to the solid character portrayals to the clarity and wit of the writing, this novel offers a fresh twist on the familiar themes of middle-grade family and school dynamics. The mysterious power that rewinds time eventually seems less important than the power that Amanda finds within herself. Emboldened by the idea of daily do-overs, she discovers that small changes in her attitude and actions result in sometimes-subtle, sometimes-monumental shifts in results for herself, her family, and her friends. A rewarding choice for readers and a natural for booktalks and discussion groups.--Phelan, Carolyn
References:
www
.mackin.com
Bibliography:
Mass, Wendy.
(2009).11 Birthdays. New York: Scholastic.
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