It Always Happens to Leona - Softcover

Grade 3-6-- It's tough being in the middle, as eight-year-old Leona knows. With a hip older sister and a younger brother who reminds people of a teddy bear, Leona is having a hard time being noticed, even when she jumps off the high diving board and gets stuck on the roof while rescuing her favorite purple purse. But when Uncle Rosco turns up for a family get-together, Leona thinks her day may finally have arrived. He knows stories about the naughty things her mother did as a child, doesn't mind if she shares his coffee, and takes her for a spin on his motorcycle. What she discovers, however, after a frightening tumble into Lake Michigan, is that she is loved after all and her parents are sympathetic to her feelings when she shares them. Leona is a feisty sort, and her constant involvement in messes, sometimes intentional, sometimes innocent, keeps the story moving at a fast pace, although the potential danger of some of her antics is unsettling. There is enough detail about the supporting characters for readers to know them, especially the easy-going, humorous Rosco. Leona's discussion with her parents at the conclusion gets across clearly, without belaboring the point, that people need to share their feelings and to understand that everything in life is not always equal. The simple illustrations and the "Annie"-look McCully gives Leona match well with the breezy style of the writing. A story even "non-middles" should enjoy.
- Joanne Aswell, Long Valley Middle School, NJ
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

According to PW , this "bittersweet family story" concerning the trials and tribulations of a middle child provides "warm and satisfying fare . . . just right for readers growing out of chapter books and into middle-grade novels." Ages 7-10.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.