11 Birthdays
by Wendy Mass

    11 BIRTHDAYS by Wendy Mass
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  1/1/09
    Publisher:  Scholastic
    Reviewed by:  Allison Fraclose
    Rating:  5 Stars


    On the day that Amanda Ellerby and Leo Fitzpatrick were born, a mysterious woman with a birthmark shaped like a
    duck told their parents that the two newborns would grow up to be the best of friends, and that they should always
    celebrate their birthdays together.

    Through a fluke, one year later, both sets of parents booked the same location for their child’s first birthday, and
    Amanda and Leo took to each other so much that celebrating their birthday together in the small town of Willow
    Falls became a great town tradition.

    Ten years later, Amanda Ellerby is absolutely dreading her eleventh birthday party, the first that she will spend
    without her ex-friend, Leo. She hasn’t spoken to him in exactly one year, ever since she heard him say those nasty
    things about her at their last joint birthday party.

    What’s worse is that she’s heard all these rumors about the incredible party Leo’s parents are throwing for him—
    with a hypnotist, a band, and a real football player—while she’s stuck with this costume party idea that her own
    mom came up with.

    The day finally arrives, and Amanda’s eleventh birthday ends up even worse than she could have imagined. She has
    a pop quiz in History, she bombs the gymnastics tryouts, and only a few people show up at her party (some kids
    even leave to go to Leo’s party instead). When she finally takes off her itchy Dorothy costume with the blistering
    shoes and crawls into bed, she feels nothing but relief that this horrible day is over.

    Except that it isn’t. The next day is her birthday again. And the day after that. And the day after that. Is Amanda the
    only one stuck in this terrible time loop?  

    I absolutely fell in love with this sweet tale of friendship, magic, and old rivalries. A quickly moving story with some
    unforgettable characters, 11 BIRTHDAYS takes that Groundhog Day premise and turns it into something much
    more meaningful.