After school in Wisconsin ends for the summer, Wren is shipped off to her grandparents' house, while her parents sort out the issues surrounding their divorce. The fourth-grader is so upset by the news, she doesn't even share it with her best friend, Amber, who doesn't understand why Wren has disappeared without a word (or text). By the time school starts, Amber has a new best friend, Marianna, from Seattle, who shines with star power. Wren quickly realizes that news of the divorce hasn't spread, and she decides to keep it that way, leading her into a web of lies and miscalculations that, naturally, make things harder rather than better. Bowe gets most everything right here: the pain and often embarrassment that comes with divorce, the agony over losing an old friend, and the way secrets (including Marianna's) have ways of slipping out. The immediately appealing cover illustration featuring Wren (along with cat Shakespeare) leads readers easily into the natural-sounding first-person narrative. Solid middle-grade fare.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2017 Booklist

Gr 3-5-Wren's summer starts off with the painful announcement that her parents are getting a "davorse." Or is it a "devorce"? "Look it up," her librarian mother says, but Wren already knows it means a change in summer plans and awkward questions when she returns to Oak Hill Elementary. As fourth grade begins, Wren covers with a few fibs, keeping her friends and new girl Marianna in the dark. Wren isn't the only one who experienced changes over the summer. Amber is now BFFs with queen bee Marianna, who dubs Wren "Tweety" and asks a lot of nosy questions. Wren retaliates with snark of her own and comes to realize Marianna has secrets, too. Wren's mom and dad and Marianna's stepfather are well-rounded characters in this slice-of-life story. Emily Eiden voices Wren with a chirpy tone, and finds other easy-to-listen-to voices for Wren's classmates and the adults. VERDICT An enjoyable, realistic novel with some life lessons subtly woven in. Recommend to young fans of Andrew Clements or anyone in the mood for a school-based tale of families, friendship, and fitting in. ["Bowe writes Wren's story with sensitivity, yet with the wealth of literature on divorce and friendship (Kevin Henkes's Bird Lake Moon, Kate DiCamillo's Flora and Ulysses, Nikki Grimes's Words with Wings), this is an additional purchase": SLJ 1/17 review of the Kathy Dawson book.]-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Just after her parents reveal that they are getting divorced, nine-year-old Wren Jo Byrd is sent to spend the summer with her grandparents, avoiding messages from her best friend, Amber, and the painful changes back home. Returning for the new school year, Wren finds that Amber has an outspoken and confident new best friend, Marianna. With her friendship in shambles, Wren continues to keep her parents' divorce to herself, but she soon discovers that secrets have a way of turning into lies. Bowe (the Friends for Keeps series) effectively conveys Wren's fears and frustrations: "I'm don't know why I'm the one who has to go away when none of this was my idea," she confides to her cat, Shakespeare. Wren's decision to hide her difficulties at home, even as it affects her life on many fronts, powerfully illustrates how deeply upsetting family changes can be. Bowe's genuine portraits of the key relationships in Wren's life-with her friends, parents, and even the often-difficult Marianna-make for a warm and rewarding story about dealing with change. Ages 7-9. Agent: Steven Chudney, Chudney Agency. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.