Gr. 6-9. ***Starred Review*** Fourteen-year-old Sofia Wolfe moves through life smiling with friends and hiding the sorrow of having lost her Spanish mother almost a year earlier. The only people she has to talk to are her abuelo in Spain, and—regarding girl things—“Dear Kate,” a teen-advice columnist with whom she can anonymously discuss personal matters. When Sofia’s father reveals he’s dating Kate, Sofia initially feels betrayed that he’s moving on with his life when she can’t. But just as things start to gel between Kate and Sofia, Kate’s daughter Alexa and her ex-boyfriend complicate Sofia’s life further. This novel is jam-packed with important, dramatic, and inevitable aspects of adolescence, from pimples to periods to popularity. [Read More]
When Loose Ends Meet 