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Reviewed by:
  • Thank You, Lucky Stars
  • Deborah Stevenson
Donofrio, Beverly Thank You, Lucky Stars. Schwartz & Wade, 2008 [240 p] Library ed. ISBN 978-0-375-93964-8$19.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-375-83964-1$16.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 4-6

The first day of fifth grade is filled with promise for Ally Miller—until she finds her erstwhile best friend, Betsy, dressing to match former enemy Mona and not Ally as planned. It becomes immediately clear that Betsy has dropped Ally for Mona, leaving Ally bereft and friendless, as well as at the mercy of the ironically named Mrs. Joy, her stern teacher. She's initially put off by the attention of an offbeat and unselfconscious new student, Tina, but soon she's realizing that Tina is a real [End Page 207] friend—but will Ally leave Tina in the lurch when Betsy wants her back for an act in the talent show? This is a fairly well-worn plot, and the story tends to be more purposive than credible; it's also steeped in old-fashioned music and dancing that give the story a dated feel despite the contemporary setting. Ally is a sympathetic character, however, whose acknowledged tendency toward immaturity (she's a bit of a crybaby) enhances her authenticity; Tina is also enough of a controversial package that Ally's uncertainty about friendship with her isn't entirely a shallow fear about status. This won't take readers anywhere they haven't been, but they may find it a reassuring treatment of a perennial anxiety.

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