An amalgamation of minor lies becomes a major weight for Julia Gillian--Julia Gillian (and the Art of Knowing)--who struggles with trumpet lessons, her mysteriously distant best friend, and a new school cafeteria monitor. McGhee's affectionate, humorous portrayal of her protagonist's emotional state reveals a keen perception of elementary-school worries. Kozjan's pen-and-ink drawings animate the characters' high and low notes.

In this stand-alone sequel to Julia Gillian (and the Art of Knowing) (2008), the eponymous heroine pretends all is well while her fifth-grade world totters. Optimistic Julia Gillian's convinced "there was much to be happy about at Lake Harriet Elementary [School]," especially her first trumpet lesson. But when her best pal Bonwit starts avoiding her, a quirky new lunch monitor tyrannizes the school cafeteria and she can't "get even the tiniest sound" out of her trumpet, she wonders, where's the joy? Determined to handle her own problems, Julia Gillian turns into "a rule breaker and a secret keeper" until this uncharacteristic behavior attracts adult attention. Temporarily off-balance, Julia Gillian realizes she's old enough to be responsible for her actions and eventually recoups with a little help from the cast of eccentric supporting characters. Kids will relate to the sympathetic, humorous narrative as it tracks Julia Gillian's very convincing foray into self-imposed misery. Kozjan's energetic pencil-and-ink drawings reveal details of Julia Gillian's troubled but ultimately victorious quest for joy. (Fiction. 9-12)

Two spirited middle-grade heroines return in a pair of sequels.

In the second installment of a planned trilogy, McGhee again focuses in on the everyday life of the upstanding title character from <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Julia Gillian (and the Art of Knowing), as she seeks to add to her list of accomplishments. Fifth grade is proving to be harder than Julia Gillian anticipated—there is a strict new lunchroom monitor, her best friend is becoming more independent and Julia Gillian can't master the trumpet. Though she wants to solve her own problems, Julia Gillian ends up lying to cover up for her inabilities, which makes matters worse (“That was the problem with being a liar and a hider. Once you started, you just had to keep going”). While the day-to-day narration can be repetitive and the resolution comes a bit quickly and conveniently—Julia Gillian comes clean, learns to play the trumpet and realizes the lunch monitor is not as bad as he seemed—her inner conflicts and fears remain highly relatable. Generously spaced text and frequent, creative use of Kozjan's loose art, which exudes personality, should appeal to new and reluctant readers alike. Ages 9–12. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Apr.)