Sophie's World

February 1, 2005
Gr 4-6 -Starting sixth grade in a new school can be tough for anyone, but it's especially hard for Sophie LeCroix, a petite girl with a grand imagination. She loves to make believe that she is Antoinette, a French girl caught up in the American Revolution. Unfortunately, Sophie's daydreaming gets her in trouble with her teachers, and the popular girls think she's weird because they no longer play imaginary games. Things change when Fiona Bunting enters the school, and the two girls become fast friends. Meanwhile, Sophie's parents, who are worried about her play-acting, decide to send her to a counselor. With the help of Fiona's friendship, sessions with Dr. Peter, and her religion, Sophie learns that everything has a place in the world. While the plot and characters are nicely developed, the Christian focus feels forced upon the story line. Sophie's relationship with Jesus is not given much context: there are no scenes with the LeCroix family attending church or Sunday school. Instead Sophie, seemingly out of nowhere, suddenly starts praying. This is unfortunate, because otherwise it's a good story." -Heather Ulesoo, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2004
Gr. 4-6. Sophie isn't happy. She's convinced that her parents, especially her father, don't love her as much as they love her high-achieving sister; her grades are poor; her classmates think she is weird; and her teachers tell her she daydreams too much (indeed, she does). If Jesus could only help her make just one friend . . . Then Fiona, new to the community, arrives on the scene. She is smart and self-assured, but best of all, she shares Sophie's love of make-believe. Suddenly, Sophie's life doesn't seem so bleak. But, of course, it's not quite that simple, and before long Sophie's doing a little more praying and paying closer attention to following God's plan by finding the best in herself and doing the right thing. Without heavy sermonizing, Rue smoothly works the idea of prayer in daily life into the story of an insecure kid whose problems with parents and "mean girls" have the ring of truth. The first book in the Faithgirlz series, this will have solid appeal for Christian tweens. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)