  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 11/01/2016 At the end of Becker’s series starter Kate the Great (2014), the titular fifth-grader learned that two best friends are more fun than one. In this follow-up, Kate starts to realize that a trio of best friends also means more possibilities of hurt feelings. Kate, Brooke, and Nora are thrown for a loop when their Junior Guides troop leader makes some changes to their annual canned-food drive. Then shifting attentions among the trio’s friendship leads to jealousy, especially when Kate makes a new friend who shares her interest in basketball, and Brooke makes some unexpected changes without Kate around. Kate’s cartoon doodles break up the text nicely, though some key plot points happen only in the illustrations, which occasionally can be confusing. Still, Kate’s genial first-person narrative, comic interludes, and realistic conflicts with her friends will ring true to middle-grade readers, and a touching subplot about getting to know an elderly neighbor is heartwarming. Readers who have exhausted Wimpy Kid read-alikes will be happy to add this one to their pile. - Copyright 2016 Booklist. Loading...
 |