Amanda Rawson Hill

Winnie has always protected her mom, Princess Winnie saving Queen Shannon. Just the two of them on their own. But when everything changes, Winnie's anxiety kicks into high gear, whispering at every turn that she is not worthy, that no one will ever like her, that even her mother is retreating.

She reacts by hurting others with her words, sometimes without meaning to, sometimes deliberately before she can stop herself. Much of this stems from earlier trauma that has not been wholly addressed.

I loved Winnie and the other fully formed characters in this book. While there is a bit of magic thrown in, the emotions and actions are real, from those of six-year-old, soon-to-be stepbrother, Sam, to 12-year-old Winnie, to the neighborhood kids, to the adults in her life.

This will be one of the first books I recommend to my fourth and fifth grade library patrons this year, to those who struggle emotionally to let them know they're not alone, and to those who could use (and couldn't we all?) more empathy in their lives.… (mer)