  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 12/15/2008 *Starred Review* Amanda and Leo, born on the same day, have celebrated their birthdays together for 10 years. Still feeling hurt from an unkind remark Leo made at last year’s party, Amanda spends her eleventh birthday without her now-estranged friend to share the fun. In the days that follow, both Amanda and Leo discover that they are caught in a time loop, waking up each morning to find themselves repeating their eleventh birthdays. They soon renew their friendship and begin to experiment by making different choices throughout the day, partly for the thrill of acting without long-term consequences and partly from their fear of never escaping this mysterious time trap. From the double-entendre title to the solid character portrayals to the clarity and wit of the writing, this novel offers a fresh twist on the familiar themes of middle-grade family and school dynamics. The mysterious power that rewinds time eventually seems less important than the power that Amanda finds within herself. Emboldened by the idea of daily do-overs, she discovers that small changes in her attitude and actions result in sometimes-subtle, sometimes-monumental shifts in results for herself, her family, and her friends. A rewarding choice for readers and a natural for booktalks and discussion groups. - Copyright 2008 Booklist. Bulletin for the Center... - 02/01/2009 Amanda has celebrated every birthday with her birthdate-mate Leo, but their falling out last year leaves her anxiously facing her eleventh birthday alone. Her anxiety proves justified as chaos reigns: Amanda’s pal Stephanie pushes her to try out for gymnastics in hopes of snaring an in with the popular girls (drummer Amanda would rather try out for marching band), her mom gets fired, and she is nearly attacked by a gigantic SpongeBob balloon in her bedroom. All of this makes for a rather unpleasant birthday, but even worse is the next day-which is the same day all over again. Though the rationale for the Groundhog Day-reminiscent birthday-reliving is a little complicated and superfluous (it involves an ancient feud), the idea of a repeat birthday, with its multiple chances to get things right and its permission to act without incurring lasting consequences, is imaginatively developed and kid-pleasing. The now-tenuous/now-tenacious quality of the book’s middle-grade friendships will ring true to its audience, and Amanda’s voice is likable and humorous (“In a few hours, no one will remember any of this except for me and Leo. For the first time, I can’t wait to see SpongeBob’s freaky streamer arms waving at me in the morning”). Short chapters and quick pacing make the pages fly by, and kids not quite ready to leave boy-girl friendships behind will find this particularly satisfying. JH - Copyright 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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