In this accomplished first novel, O'Dell probes the sixth-grade mindset pithily and perceptively. In the opening scene, Agnes Parker rides her bike frantically to her best friend Prejean's house on the last night of their summer vacation; she is late to view their favorite TV show. She takes a shortcut and encounters her nemesis, Neidermeyer; the girl calls Agnes "Gagness" and hurls a dodgeball that nearly knocks the heroine off-balance. The author thus sets the stage for the book's central conflicts. With a delectable predictability, the three wind up in the same homeroom on the first day of school. Enter Joe Waldrip ("What is it about him? He seems to be ultra three-dimensional," Agnes thinks when she first spies him), whom Neidermeyer adopts immediately for his athletic ability and who turns out to be living with his grandmother—right behind Agnes's house. Joe acts as a catalyst, creating waves in Agnes's friendship with Prejean and also opening the heroine's eyes to another side of Neidermeyer. Along the way, the author addresses spot-on issues for the characters who teeter on the edge of adolescence—Agnes gets jealous when she spots Prejean wearing a bra; boy-girl friendships grow awkward as romantic feelings arise; kids begin to redefine their relationships with their parents. Charming, yet by no means flawless, Agnes is a heroine nearly everyone can embrace. Ages 10-14. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Apr.)

As Agnes begins sixth grade, her last year of elementary school, she still has just one friend; she is still "too known for [her] niceness"; and she remains easy prey for the class bully. Things begin to change when a new boy moves to town. Keeping readers inside Agnes's head, O'Dell shows the impact Joe has on her heart. This is a thoughtful, gently humorous, and resonant cusp-of-coming-of-age novel.

Eleven-year-old Agnes is on a mission to become the kind of girl who can stick up for herself. If she can get the attention of the cute new boy in class in the meantime, maybe this year full of broken arms and new glasses might not turn out so bad. Agnes wants to be clever like her best friend, Prejean, who never seems at a loss for things to say to the bully, Neidermeyer. It is not until she gets to know Joe, the new boy in school, that she begins to realize that her troubles with classroom bullies, brand-new glasses, and a bright purple cast on her arm are pretty small compared to the difficulties that surround others. Facing the recent death of his mother and the oppressive depression inflicting his father, Joe is floating through the sixth grade. True to her kind spirit, Agnes tries to help Joe, but also true to form makes some missteps along the way. In a few short months, Agnes succeeds in beginning the long journey that will take her where she wants to go. A story of growth and acceptance, Agnes's spirit shines through as she is forced to face some difficult challenges and surprises herself with her own strength. Inspirational and realistic. (Fiction 10-13)

Gr 4-6-From bullies to best friends to first love, the trials and surprising joys of sixth grade unfold in this light but vividly told narrative. First-novelist O'Dell deploys familiar material (trick-or-treating, oral presentations in class, the family-next-door's crisis) in ways that engage readers and keep the pages turning. Agnes Parker doesn't realize it, but she's gutsy, kind, and, in the end, proves herself to be a good friend. Her attraction to Joe, a new kid in class who is part Native American, is well realized. This satisfying and good-humored story will leave readers hoping for Agnes Parker's return.-Susan Patron, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.