written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes

Junonia is a poignant book about being a child, at a perfect time, in a perfect place. Alice and her family celebrate her birthday every year at a seaside cottage called Scallop. This year will be her tenth birthday, and Alice has high hopes for the perfect celebration. They’ll see old friends, visit familiar places, and look for shell treasures on the beach. This summer Alice must make some adjustments, from missing old friends to making new friends. But it’s the search for the elusive Junonia shell that dominates Alice’s tenth summer. Will she find one? Will Alice’s birthday be perfect? Henkes captures the very essence of being a child of ten: “Suddenly she felt as if she were the center of everything, like the sun. She was thinking: Here I am. I have my parents. We’re alone together. I will never be old. I will never die. It’s right now. I’m ten.”

reviewed by Victoria