Rating: My bookshelf

A sweet story about a quirky second grader with big ideas. We get to know her and all of her classmates and their teacher, Miss Pigeon, as they grapple with the fact that some kids have big exciting plans over winter holiday, while others are just staying at home. In the end, the kids are exciting plans are not to gloat about them.

Possible hesitations are minimal: one kid is called a “dummy” by their classmates, and the aforementioned fancy vacations for some kids may be sensitive for those who can’t afford them. I will point out that nine of the twelve are staying at home over break, and they learn to plan events that the vacation kids are sad to miss out on. So in the end the lesson is that everyone can have fun over their holiday.

This story is much younger, more cheerful, and sweeter than another one of Lois Lowry’s books that I’ve read: The Willoughbys.