Awesome Blossom

January 15, 2013
Secrets rock the flower friends in the fourth entry in Myracle's Flower Power series (Oopsy Daisy, 2012, etc.). Fifth-graders Katie-Rose, Yasaman, Milla and Violet are looking forward to a quiet week, but there is never a dull moment at Rivendell Elementary. Milla is asked out on a date by her adorkable boyfriend, Max, but is having trouble telling her moms about it, let alone the flower friends. Good-girl Yaz sneaks a peek at a note she's been asked to deliver between two teachers and discovers a budding romance. Katie-Rose keeps finding tiny stuffed hedgehogs, but she can't figure out who is leaving them. Meanwhile, Violet tries to rescue the enigmatic new student, Hayley, from the clutches of mean-girl Modessa. But Violet's focus on making sure Hayley becomes a flower friend instead of an evil chick has Yaz feeling left out. Myracle continues her brilliant exploration of the complicated lives of preteens as they navigate first crushes, bullying and the struggle to stay true to themselves. However, this latest entry lacks the edge of the earlier series installments. The ongoing battle between Modessa and the flower friends feels tired, and Myracle focuses more on the girls' friendships and budding romances than on social issues, like mental illness, as she did in previous entries. Still, the girls' giggle-worthy antics and enough dangling plot threads will keep readers wanting more. A solid, if not outstanding, entry in the Flower Power series. (Fiction. 9-13)

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March 1, 2013
Grades 4-6 Secrets, first crushes, bullying, and tested friendships are at the forefront of Myracle's fourth title in the Flower Power series, which focuses on a week in the lives of fifth-graders Milla, Katie-Rose, Yaz, and Violet. The first thing to throw the girls off-kilter is new student Hayley: Will she be sucked into the Evil Chicks group or does she have Flower Friend potential? What if making space for Hayley means less room for Yaz? Then there are the boys: Max, Milla's semiboyfriend, who has asked her on a possible date to the Olive Garden, and Preston, who teases prickly and innocent Katie-Rose. Meanwhile, Yaz, in a somewhat unbelievable plotline, messengers love notes between teachers Ms. Perez and Mr. Emerson while class is in session. While this book is perhaps missing some of the oomph of previous titles, including the fact that the mean-girl angle has fizzled, this is still a shining example of themes and language (parts of the story are told in IMs, e-mails, and chat messages) that will cut straight to the hearts of tween girls.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2013
When it looks like new-girl Hayley is making friends with mean-girl Modessa, Yaz steps in, hoping Hayley will choose her flower friends instead. Meanwhile, all of the girls are keeping secrets these days, creating friction within the group. In their fourth outing, Myracle's diverse and distinctive fifth graders show how complicated lives can be--and how important friendship is--at their age.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)