ALA Booklist (Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Amelia McBride celebrates her eleventh birthday with a party that brings surprises, especially Aunt Tanner's brand-new song. In this sixth Amelia Rules! book, Amelia, her friends, and her family all face new challenges and changes. Much of it centers on Tanner, as she reconnects with her music and starts dating Amelia's teacher, while Amelia suffers a humiliating crush and deals with fighting among her friends and between her mother and Tanner. Gownley again touches on things young readers deal with in their own lives with just enough humor to make it not hurt so much.

Horn Book

As Amelia turns eleven she continues to learn bittersweet lessons about friends, families, and first loves. When Amelia finally musters the courage to profess her feelings to Kyle, things don't go as she'd hoped. Without losing its sense of humor, Gownley's episodic graphic novel also shows the real and messy sides of adult relationships in conjunction with Amelia's experiences.

Kirkus Reviews

The irresistibly plucky Amelia Louise McBride is back for her sixth adventure, dealing with more of preteendom's tricky trials and tribulations as she celebrates her 11th birthday. Her party is a smashing success and includes a special performance from Aunt Tanner and a book from her crush, Kyle. With everything going so right, things are bound to take a turn, and, predictably, they do: Kyle brings another girl to Aunt Tanner's concert, Aunt Tanner and Amelia's mom get into a huge fight and, in trying to help Aunt Tanner find what she's looking for, Amelia may have inadvertently lost her. Sassy, spunky Amelia handles these situations the way most 11-year-old girls would, with a lot of heart and a few rib-tickling diatribes sprinkled on top. Gownley is a master at tackling serious issues with a confident, accurate pen, making endearing and engaging what could easily slip into saccharine didacticism. An utterly charming addition to this wonderfully fizzy series, this installment proves that Amelia truly does rule! ( Graphic fiction. 9-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Amelia is turning 11 years old and is in for a big surprise at her birthday party, which she is dreading. Famous singer/songwriter Aunt Tanner, who hasn%E2%80%99t written a song in over a year, writes and sings a song for Amelia at the party. But later, Tanner fills in for Amelia%E2%80%99s mom as a school speaker and creates a buzz among classmates%E2%80%94and she even asks a teacher out on a date, which causes a huge row between Tanner and Amelia%E2%80%99s mother. The fight takes Amelia back to when her parents were divorcing and sets off some bad behavior by Amelia, including an embarrassing scene at the mall. Amelia finds a way to express herself in a positive manner through her journal writing assignment for English class, shown through prose. Gownley%E2%80%99s clear line drawings have plenty of character expression and humor in this seventh series installment%E2%80%94the fight scenes jump off the page with bold lettering and facial expressions. Readers will easily identify with Amelia and her growing pains. Ages 7%E2%80%9312. (Oct.)

School Library Journal (Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2011)

Gr 4-6 Amelia McBride has to face some sad goodbyes, some difficult decisions, and her 11th birthday. Luckily she has an amazing cast of friends and family by her side through all the hilarious and heartwarming trials of life. One of the situations in this volume is the budding romance between her beloved teacher and her Aunt Tanner, causing her aunt to be a bit absent just when Amelia needs her help in dealing with her own painful and sometime embarrassing first real crush. Amelia really is growing up, so while she maintains a charming childlike personality, she is also becoming more self-aware and more responsible. Even her playtime is changing, with fewer caped crusades and clubhouses, and more Truth or Dare and trips to the mall. Gownley gets this transition just right. The art maintains the simple bright charm of the previous volumes of the graphic-novel series, and the cartoon-style drawings with strong child appeal are a perfect match for the humor and emotion of the story lines. With some parts laugh-out-loud funny and some heart-wrenching, this book has something for everyone. Sharon Senser McKellar, Oakland Public Library, CA