by Lauren Tarshis
ages: 9-13
First sentence: “Emma-Jean Lazarus knew very well that the seventh-grade boys at William Gladstone Middle School behaved like animals at times.”
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I don’t know, after the events in the first book, if I really, truly expected Emma-Jean to be less quirky. I don’t think I did. Which is good, because she wasn’t.

This time, in Emma-Jean’s life, love abounds. It’s May, it’s time for the spring dance (both of these books revolved around dances). And it’s the girls turn to ask the boys out. Everyone’s pairing off, except Emma-Jean and Colleen. (Colleen wants to; Emma-Jean is considering it, to a certain extent.) And so, when Colleen gets a secret admirer note in her locker, she tasks Emma-Jean to figure out which boy it is. Brilliant deductions, quirky observations — but not over-the-top like in the first book.

Emma-Jean also has her first crush, which she takes on in Emma-Jean-style:

“A crush?” Emma-Jean said. This sounded very serious. She pictured a boa constrictor wrapped around the neck of a lemur.

“An infatuation,” her mother clarified.

“Is it the same as being in love?” asked Emma-Jean warily….

“No,” [her mother] said. “Being in love is one of the most powerful experiences anyone can have. I think that’s why we have crushes when we’re younger. Maybe it’s how we get ready for real love.”

This seemed logical to Emma-Jean. After all, many important life skills — walking, talking, cooking, identifying birds in flight — were learned in stages and honed through practice.

It’s a sweeter book than the first one, funnier, and the plot works better. I found myself actually falling in love with Emma-Jean’s quirkiness in a way I didn’t the first time around. Quite charming.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)