Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Hailey Twitch and the Wedding Glitch by Lauren Barnholdt

From the back of the book:  Hailey Twitch wants to have fun, fun, FUN!

Hailey has a secret.  She has a friend named Maybelle that no one else can see.

Hailey has the most fab, fab, fabulous news!  She will be the flower girl in her cousin's wedding - and wear sparkly shoes.  Hailey is sure to need help from Maybelle.  But now that Maybelle has finally gotten control of her magic, she might be leaving!  Will Hailey and Maybelle make it through the wedding without a big disaster?  Or will the two friends have to say good-bye forever?

From Heather:  I really, really REALLY wanted to like this book!  I love when books come in a series so that if my girls like it, I know what to get next. And the front of the book had a quote from the School Library Journal that said, "Youngsters who enjoy Ramona, Judy Moody, and Clementine will get a kick out of Hailey Twitch."  And they are probably right. Although parts of it remind me of Junie B. Jones, which isn't my favorite series.

Hailey is always getting into trouble, which at times can be hilarious.  And she has a sprite named Maybelle who is not very helpful with her magic.  In fact, she often makes things worse!  The stories are fun to read from Hailey's quirky perspective.  That part I liked.  Mostly.

The part I had a hard time with was Hailey's voice.  "When I get to school I am causing quite a spectacle.  A spectacle is when you cause a big scene and people pay a lot of very good attention to you.  Being a spectacle is fun.  It is like being famous."  It's fun for a while, but reading a whole book in seven-year-old talk drives me up a wall.  My girls don't seem to mind - maybe it's just me!  :)

The book is charming, the story is funny and it's kind of fun to watch Hailey get into trouble.  The back of the book has it labeled from 7-10 years old, which seems about right.  The illustrations are adorable.  Maybe I'll have to try some of the other books in the series and see if I like them any better.  I give it 3 1/2 stars.


2 comments:

Misty Moncur said...

Looks really cute. Kamma liked the Junie Bs, so maybe she'd like this too. Thanks!

Heather said...

Kammi would love them then!