Things were so simple when we were young, weren't they? I don't understand why we thought growing up was so alluring. Sure, we get to drive, vote, and be independent, but we also have to worry about how to support ourselves. The older that I get, the more I wish I could go back to being a kid. I wouldn't mind being 11 years old again, where my primary concerns would be school and friends. Wouldn't that be nice? Since I know that's impossible and a time machine hasn't been invented yet (What's the deal with that? We're in 2010 already. Could someone start that project?), I would have to live vicariously through Amanda and Leo, the protagonists of Wendy Mass's sweet and adorable book called 11 birthdays.

Description: Amanda and Leo have literally been best friends since birth. See, they were born on the same day and have celebrated their birthdays together for 9 years. They had a fall out on their 10th birthday and haven't spoken to each other for an entire year. Now when they prepare to celebrate their 11th birthday separately, strange things are starting to happen. They began to celebrate their birthday over and over again! What's going on? Will Amanda and Leo become friends again and solve the mystery together? 

Review: 11 birthdays is an adorable, sweet, clean, and enjoyable read. It's basically the kids' version of the movie, Groundhog Day. The writing is fresh and all of the characters were delightful. The universal themes of doing well in school coupled with the power of changing friends rings true in the novel. Amanda and Leo take advantage of the time warp to try different things to see what the outcomes would be and to see if their actions would fix time so they could see Saturday. It was refreshing to see how Amanda and Leo's thought process changed while they try to solve the mystery. I would recommend this book to children in 3rd grader and up.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Absolutely clean.

If you like this book, try: Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass