Veteran nonfiction author Van Vleet returns to fiction in this second installment of the Eliza Bing series.After a summer spent making friends, losing friends, and discovering a passion for taekwondo, Eliza Bing is ready to tackle the sixth grade alongside her best and only close friend, Annie. Eliza has not had a great track record socially, largely as a consequence of her ADHD, but is determined to be the "best best friend" anyone could ask for. Operation BBF launches Eliza out of her comfort zone and into the cast of the school play, a fractured-fairy-tale twist on "Cinderella." Though Eliza is there to support Annie's theatrical aspirations, she soon finds her ADHD gives her unique skills in improv and comedic timing, causing jealous feelings that lead to a rift that threatens the girls' friendship. Van Vleet rounds out the primary plot with family drama, a budding romance, and Eliza's quest for her next taekwondo belt. Though stymied at almost every turn, she learns to go with the flow as lessons learned from improv and athletic pursuits converge with her social and familial relationships. As a first-person narrator, Eliza is endearing and authentic; one looks forward to her ongoing adventures in growing up. Eliza, Annie, and the majority of the supporting characters present as white.Eliza Bing is a star on the rise. (Fiction. 8-12)

Gr 3-6 Now that Eliza Bing has tae kwon do under her belt, she just might be ready to tackle middle school. Starting the school year without her best friend sets off Eliza's panic buttons and her ADHD, but she is determined to start off on the right foot. She's hopeful when she finds a new friend, Annie, with whom she is working on a "Rules to Surviving Sixth Grade" list (number four is "Don't get on Zoe Goldberg's bad side."). When a biology safety presentation goes horribly wrong, Eliza earns a new embarrassing nickname and is the laughing stock of her grade. She's worried her social faux pas will endanger her friendship with Annie, so she puts "Operation BFF" into play. Step one involves participating in the things Annie values most, even if it means trying out for the school play. Being involved in theater brings more drama than Eliza planned for, and she has to contend with her jealousy over Annie's friendship with know-it-all Paige. Readers will root for Eliza as she navigates middle school, while facing recognizable family, friend, and school stressors. VERDICT Most kids will recognize themselves in Eliza's insecurities and will applaud as she strives to control circumstances that aren't always within her power to control. Purchase where there are fans of the first book, Eliza Bing Is (Not) a Big Fat Quitter , and for libraries in need of light, accessible realism. Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA