Adoption Books

This was such a great book! I finished it in 3 days, and I'm usually a pretty slow reader. I couldn't put it down! It is about a sixteen year-old girl named Poppy who lives with her adoptive mother in Winnipeg. When her mother takes off to Greece with her boyfriend, Poppy has to stay with her mother's friend for the summer. Poppy doesn't think much of that idea, so she gets on a plane to Winnipeg where her father lives. There she stays with her father, stepmother and their son while she searches for her birth mother. I don't want to give away any more of this story, you'll have to read it for yourself! I strongly recommend this book, especially to girls aged 12-16.

Wow! I must say this was a good book. I live in Winnipeg so I thought it was neat how the book took place in Winnipeg. However, Winnipeg tends to be a relativly boring place so I thought it would be boring to too but I was wrong. This was a good book and my teacher and my best friend also have read it and recomend it. So please pick us this book, it's really down-to-earth and it's so realistic. The characters are so easy to picture and the book is great. So read on!

When I bought this book I had my doubts. I thought it would be just a cliche "girl finds love unexpected places while trying to find someone." I also was not very excited to find that Winnipeg is the setting of this novel. Instead, it was a funny and extremely realistic book. As I was reading, I could easily see myself as Poppy, the main character. Everything was so real I could not believe it. Also, the author writes with great descriptions and uses Winnipeg to her advantage. This is a book that every teenaged girl should read. You will fall in love with almost all the characters, including Poppy's loving, but clued-out dad, her hippie step mom, and the eccentric Becca. Go read this book now!

The search for home is the subject of this tenderly written novel about a young girl's journey to locate her birth mother. Poppy is seventeen, tall, red-haired and adopted. Since the age of five, she has lived with her adoptive mother Denise in Winnipeg. Recently Denise has take up with Marcus, a poet from Greece. Her father Eric has started a new family in Vancouver. Poppy decides that the only person who can really care about her must be her birth mother. As the beginning of a summer holiday, she travels to Vancouver to undertake a journey that will introduce her to many new people and situations. By the end of summer, Poppy discovers that she has learned much on this spiritual odyssey, mostly about herself and the value of a family bonds.

Linda Holeman writes in a style that is easy to read and contemporary in setting. In this book, she has created a cast of characters that are so real, they could be personal family members. Poppy is a whole person, capable of being sweet and sensitive, but acting at times in ways that are also selfish and stubbornly single minded.

A good read!

I've read several different books lately on adopting a rescue dog, and this is by far the best one. It thoroughly addresses all the issues surrounding this subject -- how to choose the right dog and the right rescue group for you, going through the sometimes-complicated adoption process, handling behavioral problems that can arise when a dog has come from a difficult prior living situation -- and gives specific, useful advice about everything it discusses. The author obviously knows a lot about this subject and she shares her knowledge in an engaging and very helpful way. Great book.

I liked this book! Although I have never had a dog from a rescue league, after purchasing this book, I discovered it helped me with my rescued mixed-breed and my Cocker Spaniel, both of whom came from a shelter. I someday hope to acquire dogs from breed rescue, and I have no doubt that this book will help me achieve that dream. The section on helpingyour new dog adjust to other pets, as I have seven animals currently!

My fiance and I recently adopted a rescued Cairn Terrier with no advance notice. Like many rescue dogs, he had some emotional baggage which expressed itself in bad behavior; we knew we'd have to turn him around if he was going to stay. "Save That Dog" gave concrete tips on how to deal with dog behavior problems that affect many dogs, not just rescued dogs. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is considering adopting a rescue dog and dog owners in general.

A warm, friendly book full of practical insight and heartfelt success stories of rescued dogs who went on to "fame and fortune" as the stars of their new owners' lives.

Some people believe that for a dog to be truly "theirs", they must adopt it as a puppy. Liz discusses the love and total devotion that are common with rehomed dogs, and helps point out that a dog rescued from a substandard environment and placed in a loving, friendly one may be the most grateful pet you ever own. It is an option my wife and I have certainly never regretted.

As owners of a purebred West Highland White terrier, my wife and I continually amaze people we meet when we mention he was rescued from the pound. People just don't believe that pure-bred dogs end up in shelters to be euthanized; most assume the places are filled with mutts coming from alley breedings. Liz points out the startling statistic that less than 30% of dogs stay their entire lives with one owner; pedigreed, intentionally-bred dogs included.

Unrealistic expectations by new dog owners are probably the single greatest reason for this statistic; this book will ensure that you will not be a contributor to the problem, giving intelligent, realistic assessments of the possibilities and realities of dog ownership.

I thought that I would be getting a book targeted to the specific problems that shelter dogs experience. Perhaps training advice on how to deal with issues that these special dogs may exhibit. Boy - was I wrong! Having recently saved a 4 month old puppy from a shelter I was really looking forward to learning how to make my puppy's adjustment smooth. I learned nothing from this book. Some ridiculous chapters include "Sex - Who Needs It" and "Will It Bite?" both addressing issues that really don't need an entire chapter. Of course your dog should be neutered and of course you should do your best to choose a happy playmate - not an agressive fiend. I am not a new dog owner but these chapters would make me never want a dog. I have had a much better experience with other books written on the subject. I would not recommend this for anyone looking for insight and training tips for shelter dogs who may have been abused, abandoned, be extremely submissive or agressive.

I bought this book and found it very helpful in dealing with specific issues raised by adopting older dogs as well as puppies. It was very realistic and offered down to earth solutions that work. I have several dozen dog training books and I found this one to be the most helpful in dealing with specific issues like housetraining and aggression problems. I lent my copy of the book to a friend and I'm need to order more copies for other friends looking for this type of book.

Everything one needs to know about making a first class pet out of a shelter dog.

I recently borrowed this book from my library, and I must ownit! It offers honest, practical advice covering all aspects ofadopting these very special animals. I have wanted to get a dog butwas apprehensive about looking at shelter dogs until I read this book. It has inspired confidence in my ability to train and provide the proper atmosphere that my new pet will need!

There may be a biased message in the book, but that does not make it any less valid. The stories/essays/prose/poetry are all personal accounts written by Korean adoptees about their experiences with life, as they know it, as a Korean adoptee. Personally, I think it is a powerful and endearing book, as these adoptees bear their souls. As an adoptee myself, it's inspiring to finally see something on the market that combats the sappy, romanticized images of adoption that most mainstream books often portray. In any case, as member of the adoptee community, I recommend this book for anyone involved with adoption in any way, because it does show some of the raw emotions of the adoptee experience, even if they aren't the pictures you want to see.

As a Korean adoptee, I relate to many of the ideas that the authors are putting forth. I know and understand what it is like to struggle with this identity. To experience growing up as an Asian American in an all white community, and then have your Asian American identity hit you like a mack truck. I know what it is like to want to deny that part of yourself. I understand the feelings of hurt, of frustration and confusion. However, I am also beginning to understand the pride in being Asian American. And part of the reason that I am able to do this is because of the support and love of my parents. I feel that many of the poetry and prose that the editors have included in this anthology has negative connotations towards the adoptive parents. I know some really wonderful adoptive parents, including my own. I simply worry that people who are reading this book from outside of adoption will think that all adoptive parents are horrible and all adoptees are maladjusted.

The mass exodus of unaccompanied children from the lands of their birth is one of the least documented and most dramatic legacies of the twentieth century. When seen through a post-colonial lense, it may also, in some ways, be one of the most troubling. These intensely personal accounts offer us a compassionate glimpse onto one of these vast, secret migrations. In doing so, these voices raise profound questions about the ethical limits of human charity and the burden of memory in the absence of the possiblity of history.

It's the most emotional book I have ever read. It should be essential for everyone who are involved in Korean/int'l adoption, both adoptees, birthparents and adoptive parents, as well as siblings, relatives, friends and professionals.

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

Ten years ago we adopted an infant girl from Korea. Her brother was 30 months old the day they met. For years our favorite adoption book was "Katie-Bo". This was very much the story of our adoption as known by our son and his preschool age cousins. SEEDS OF LOVE is a very similar book for any preschooler who will gain a sibling through adoption travel rather than airport meetings. The story told in SEEDS OF LOVE is one of happiness, sadness, confusion, and love. All of these emotions go with the process of adoption and with the process of having parents leave home. This book is important because it provides a clear story with a message of love for all children in a family. With small variations, this is the story of adoption as known by many preschool age siblings.

This is the first book our 22-month-old child ever asked me to read by name! My husband and I leave tomorrow for St. Petersburg, Russia to adopt our second child, and "Seeds of Love" has helped immeasurably to help us prepare our son for our absence and to help him anticipate being a big brother to his new baby sister. The book gently raises and answers many of the questions and concerns a child would have when anticipating being separated from his/her parents for an extended period of time. A must for brothers and sisters of international adoption!

This is a story about a big sister waiting for her little sister to be brought home. It is written from the perspective of the big sister and discusses the questions and concerns she has regarding her sister and the time needed to go get her... "I didn't know babies came from airplanes." "You will be gone for such a long time." "Who will take care of me while you are gone, and will Grandma know to cut the crusts off of my bread like you?"

Even though this book is written very well, I knew in reading it first that a lot of the questions that it discussed did not pertain to my kids... they know that babies do not come from airplanes, and they spend enough time with Grandma to know that if they had to stay with her while we go and get the babies that they would be well taken care of. However, in spite of 'my' review, it is very sweet book and my children love reading it!

*Obviously illustrated, the baby sister is from China*

I highly recommend this book! We're in the process of adopting a baby boy from Russia, and I searched for books that explain adoption to the sibling already at home. This book has been a great way to start to prepare our 3-year-old for a baby sibling who will arrive in a different way. It's about a little girl whose parents are adopting internationally - they travel without the little girl to bring home a baby girl, so the book also deals with separation while parents travel. It never mentions what country the baby is from, and it's easy to substitute "boy" as appropriate when reading. Our daughter now "reads" the book to herself because she knows it by heart, and tells everyone that she's adopting a baby brother from Russia.

I'm a mom of two kids in my mid-thirties. I picked up this book during my second pregnancy, which was a surprise. I thought I had a pretty good handle on stuff, since I'd already had a child, but Surprise Motherhood had a *lot* of great information that I wished I'd had the first time around.

The section on the FMLA and maternity leave really helped. Every other book gives you the same standard stuff- contact HR, tell your boss, be flexible, etc. Surprise Motherhood told me about the laws in my state, how to keep good boundaries while I was off work, and how to tactfully and professionally deal with my pushy boss. It was great knowing exactly what I was entitled to, and how to get it without seeming rude.

The postpartum depression part was also really helpful for me. I'd struggled after my older child was born and had been worried about having issues again. This book taught me the difference between normal mood swings and actual postpartum depression, and gave me a lot of info about postpartum OCD, which I'd never heard of before. I passed it on to my husband, which helped him understand.

The other great section was the birth control, which you wouldn't expect from a pregnancy book. My God, I never knew I had so many options. It was a great help because I was sick of the pill but wasn't sure about alternatives beyond condoms. Now I know about a huge number of choices, and I eventually went with the cervical cap (which I like).

Overall, this book is really helpful, both in regards to a sudden pregnancy and general girly issues like sex and birth control. Even if your pregnancy was planned, this is probably still a good book for those reasons alone.

I really like the premise of this book. Not all pregnancies are planned, and not all unplanned pregnancies are the sort of thing that happen to teenagers in the back seat of a car. Sometimes the pill fails, or the condom breaks, and people who never intended to be pregnant suddenly have a whole lot of decisions to make.

I also really like that the first section of the book is an open and blunt discussion of the first decision: to keep the baby or not. If you're staunchly pro-life, it may be useless, but for the rest of us who don't have that unwavering moral imperative, a little guidance from an unbiased source can go a long way.

Beyond those two points, though, the book is of questionable utility.

The chapters on financial concerns and friend loss are incredibly valuable. If you didn't mean to be an expectant parent, you probably haven't done the budgeting to accommodate the vast expense of pregnancy and parenting. And if you're pregnant while all of your friends are still leading their independent and child-free lives, you'll suddenly find yourself with a lot more free time (which you'll probably spend sleeping anyway, but that's not the point). What To Expect and its ilk, while so very useful, don't cover these concerns.

Then there are the chapters that cover the author's own experiences with symptoms or complications that are extremely rare. The digression regarding what i'll rename in this venue to 'raccoon posterior' was functionally useless. The chapter on Diastasis Symphysis Pubis would only be relevant to the 1 in 30,000 women who suffer through it while pregnant (a statistic she provides in the book). Reading about the author's trials and tribulations has its value, but i'd rather she'd spent the words and pages on more common problems that would apply to more of her readers.

(And if you're the sort who doesn't want to read about urinary or fecal incontinence, you should probably just skip the book, but you're going to have a hard reality to face later in your pregnancy.)

There's also an issue with the book itself. Flipping open to the first page of the introduction, it was clear that this had not been produced by a major publishing house. The margins are too small, the font too big, the spacing too wide, and the formatting questionable. It's not that i need insets and pictures, but it can be a little hard to take a book seriously when the text practically runs off the pages sometimes. Also, a spell-check would have been a good idea ('fourtenn', for example, should be picked up by even the most basic checkers), and a quick proof-reading for grammar and punctuation would have improved things.

So, all in all, i don't feel that i wasted my money buying this book, nor that i wasted my time reading it, i just don't feel like i got much from it except some consolation that i'm not the only person in the world dealing with an unplanned adult pregnancy.

I am a twenty-something woman, hoping to be a parent someday but with no kids on the horizon just yet. I knew Ophelia in passing in college, and when she became pregnant with her first child, I read her website eagerly, squirreling away her insights on pregnancy for the future. She told the truth about pregnancy, even when it wasn't pretty (no more taking bladder control for granted!). When I found out she was writing a whole book about pregnancy, I was eager to read it.



This book was just what I was hoping for. It's written informally, with humorous anecdotes and useful information about pregnancy and motherhood. I appreciate Ophelia's honesty; she isn't afraid to talk about things that many pregnancy-related publications gloss over, like postpartum depression. The book touches on a range of topics (including alarming and unexpected physical changes that occur during pregnancy, how to deal with your employer during and after pregnancy, and which baby products are essential) with references provided for more in-depth information.



Should I ever become pregnant, in addition to reading the traditional baby tomes, I'll keep this book on hand for a frank and informative look at pregnancy and motherhood.

I read this book cover to cover in almost one sitting and loved it. I'm a brand new dad but I connected with the "mommy" in this book over and over again.

The author dispenses with needless formatting of concepts and expectations and simply gives the nitty-gritty facts and details that one needs to expect and be weary of while pregnant and during the first months/years of parenthood. Ophelia Austin-Small incorporates her own life experiences and those of others into a feel-good storytelling format that allows the reader to lower their guard and feel okay about themselves while also being given insight and tactics to be empowered to deal with life-bearing and life-altering decisions.

Although language and topic can be coarse at points in the book, it helps emphasize that the author is not trying to sell a false, "PC" image but focuses on the often overlooked low-points and uncomfortable topics of motherhood, and parenthood in general.

I picked this book up 10 months after my first child was born, and I'm the father, yet it still held useful information for me and gave me solace knowing others have had similar experiences. Had this book been available two years ago, I would have worn the pages thin by now.

Kudos to this first time author and two time mother in being able to take her own daunting life-bearing experiences and produce a piece of literature that can help others make it through their own experiences with a bit more hope and self-respect.

I brought this book for my 12 year old neice. Fantastic. She loved the book and took it everywhere with her to read. I like to think of it as a book suitable for light reading.

Carmen has made minor adjustments in school. It's now Christmas break and she's a little bored. Her brother, who she learned was adopted in `True Friends,' is sneaking to look for his parents. His big sis Carmen has decided to help him. Will their parents catch on to what they're doing? How will their parents feel when they learn this secret?

`Sweet Honesty' was just okay. It just wasn't as interesting, but I still would recommend it to others.

Reviewed by: Marshae
Pre-teen Reviewer
3.5 stars

I loved this book. It was really good and Carmen is a good role model for young girls, although the ending was very similar to the first book: She wins some essay contest. I hope all the books don't end that way!

The young ladies I passed the book to really enjoyed the story. One of the girls was dealing with changes in her life that were out of her control and reading about Carmen being in a similiar situation helped her feel better about her situation.

I read this book as an adult adoptee as well as her adult books. It is an honest book about adoption written by another adoptee.

Excellent children's book, perfect for children at the very age when their adoption begins to become something they are aware of--and should be aware of. Nice combination of fantasy and reality. Agree with earlier review about the importance and beauty of inclusion of the birth mother. Birth mothers need more of this honest, thoughtful recognition of the struggles they experience. Ignorance with respect to this issue among much of the general public is astonishing, sad, and ultimately, in too many cases, tragic. The two tales within the story also provide two excellent and different models to encourage and inform adoptive parents who may struggle with communicating clearly and lovingly the basic issues of adoption to their children. Not all of us are blessed with equal creative and verbal skills. Models can help. In short, this is a must for all families with adopted children. Alfred A Knopf needs to do another printing and keep this available. The potential market for this book may not be overwhelming, but certainly steady and sure. Thank you to Betty Jean Lifton for a wonderful book.

Finally and adoption story that does not leave out the final person essential to adoption--the birth mother! Because it was written by an adoptee, this book is more true to an adopted children's actual ponderings and questions than any other I've seen. A must have for the book shelf of any adopted children!

This is a wonderful story about how a child can be so loved and welcomed into a family. I have two adopted children ages 3 & 4 and they went to this book repeatedly. We got it from lib. and now lookig for a copy for our own. It is a great book

This was a cute book with some nice illustrations, but really had very little to do with adoption and was a bit expensive for such a quick read. It got a couple of giggles from my four-year old and six-year old, but they've never asked to read it since that first time.

This is a short story about a little boy who is about to become a big brother (by way of international adoption), and all the things he plans to tell his little sister about (e.g. "Crayons don't taste good" and "Monsters aren't real"). It's more about becoming a big brother than it is about adoption. It's got my 3-year-old talking about all the things he'll teach his sister when she arrives via international adoption.

A sweet book about how a young boy prepares for his new adopted sister!
Many families adopt children from other parts of the world. Things
Little Kids Need to Know is a story about how one little boy thinks of
everything he will need to teach his new sister. Both funny and sweet, it
includes, Crayons don't taste good, Never pick the neighbor's flowers, and
give lots of hugs! The illustrations are realistic and brighten the story.
What a treat to the eyes and the heart!

Wee Ones Children's Magazine
Jennifer Reed editor

I have been looking for some time for the perfect book to read to my two sons, 6 and 3, about their sister coming from Korea. The problem was, no book addressed the 'sibling' relationship! There are lots of books that talk about why babies are adopted, or how the travel process works. NO other book I've found describes the wonderful way that a child can be involved in the adoptive process. It reinforces the importance that all siblings have, epecially to an adopted child. I recommend this book for anyone with a child, who is adopting another. It is a great start for avoiding rivalry and fostering a new role as a loving older sibling. By the way, my two boys love it too! It has started many great conversations about what they will do when their little sister finally comes.

This is one of the old Sweet Valley books, before they got silly.

Twin sisters Jessica and Elizabeth have noticed that their friend Mary spends a lot of time at their house. When she is over, she doesn't want to talk to the twins, instead she always wants to hang around with Jessica and Elizabeth's mom.
One day Jessica gets fed up and tells Elizabeth to tell Mary that she cannot come over anymore.
When Elizabeth discovers the real reason that Mary wants to spend so much time with the twins' mom, she regrets telling Mary that she is no longer welcome at their house.
Can Jessica and Elizabeth become friends with Mary again? And just what is the secret that Mary and her foster parents are hiding?

When Mary Giacco spends time at The Wakefields,Jessica suspects that Mary is trying to take Mrs.Wakefield away from them,Mary tells Elizabeth that when she was 4 years old,her parents separated and divorced.Mrs.Robinson worked as a waitress and a woman named Annie Desavio took care of her,then Annie soon kidnapped Mary and changed the last name to Annie's mom's maiden name.Andrea Robinson has been looking for Mary,too. She does find her at the Wakefields.Mary's father has remarried and has 2 stepbrothers. The Sweet Valley Sixers has won a contest.Mary has an idea for a celebrity cookbook.Annie has been arrested for the kidnapping of Mary. The Altmans want to Adopt Mary,but she turned them down,now that she found her real mother.

Mary Giaccio(her sirname changes alot of times during the series due to being a foster kid)will not stop hanging around Jessica and Elizabeth's mother,and ignores the twins!Hot-headed Jessica becomes VERY very ticked off!They soon feel very sorry for Mary when they realize that the reason she spends so much time with Mrs Wakefield is that Mary misses her own mother.Will Mary ever find her own mum again?

This is the story of twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield and their friend Mary Giaccio. Mary was the foster child of the Altman's. She often went to visit the Wakefield's, walking home with either Elizabeth or Jessica from school. Jessica noticed that Mary was far too close with her mother. She felt jealous and resented Mary's easy going ways in their home. She noticed that Mary was always following her mother around, chatting and laughing with her. Sometimes, she felt ignored because her mother was busy talking with Mary. One day, she approached her twin sister Elizabeth and told her of her observations. She said that Mary didn't really go to their house to be with them - it was really to be with their mother. She asked Elizabeth not to invite Mary to their house anymore. She made it clear that she didn't want another sister! Elizabeth, realizing that Jessica really resented Mary's presence in their house, tried to avoid Mary at school. She would run off after school or pretend to be busy with her newspaper work. Mary noticed this and felt very hurt. Elizabeth, who is really a warm and understanding person, decided to tell Mary the truth. She told Mary that Jessica no longer wants Mary to visit their home because she didn't want to have to share their mother's attention with anyone. Since then, Mary avoided the twins. She would sit alone in school and really looked miserable. During one occasion, Mary had a chance to sit beside Jessica. She gave Jessica a gift and told her that she really wanted to be friends again. Jessica was surprised and pleased when she saw that the gift Mary gave her was a gold and silver bracelet Mary had worn so often and which she really liked. She also needed some help in typing some recipes to be published in a book in school. So she decided to be friends with Mary again. She even invited Mary to go her house after school for snacks. While they drank grape juice in Jessica's kitchen, they read the master newspaper article Elizabeth wrote about someone who gave a talk about proper dressing in school. Unfortunately, Jessica accidentally spilt the grape juice on the paper. The ink ran out and no matter how they tried to blot the paper, the whole article which Elizabeth wrote was erased. Afraid of Elizabeth's reaction, Jessica proceeded to fill in the missing paragraphs with her own ideas. Mary typed the article on the paper. That evening, Jessica overheard her parents saying that the Altman's have decided to adopt Mary. Despite Elizabeth's warning that she should not repeat that information to anyone else, Jessica decided that it was such good news and everyone should know about it. The Altman couple were so nice and finally Mary would stop following her mother around since Mrs. Altman would made a very good mother. Just before going to sleep, Jessica wrote an additional sentence in the Elizabeth's article in the master newspaper. It read: "Mary will be adopted by Mr. & Mrs. Altman". Jessica was sure that Mary would thank her for putting that in. Come the following day, Elizabeth and Mary were both horrified with what came out in the newspaper. Elizabeth went straight to her advisor to say that she wants to redo the article. Her advisor said that the article was more "fun" than her usual articles and if she would only correct the spelling errors, it would really be perfect. This made Elizabeth feel worse. She really wanted to kill Jessica - specially after Mary confronted her, telling her that she didn't want to be adopted by the Altman's because she believes that her mother is not really dead, as was told to her by a certain Annie who brought her up after her mother left and disappeared. Mary said that she was sure that her mother was somewhere still trying to find her. After school, she went home directly and told Mr. and Mrs. Altman that she didn't want to be adopted because she believes her mother would one day find her - even if it was already 7 years since her mother left her. The Altman's understood her and respected her decision. Mary forgave Jessica for writing about her in the newspaper. Elizabeth managed to forgive her twin sister as well and all three became good friends once more. One day, a woman came by the school to ask about Mary. Elizabeth noticed that the woman resembled her mother. She told the woman that Mary was with her twin sister in their house. She offered to walk the woman to her house. On the way, the woman asked a lot of things about Mary, about the Altman's and whether Mary was happy there. Elizabeth asked her if she was Annie. The woman said no. Suddenly Elizabeth's heart jumped. She asked the woman if she was the mother of Mary. Tears sprang to her eyes as the woman admitted that she was Mary's mother. She said that she had been looking for Mary for a long time. When they reached the Wakefield's house, Mary instantly recognized her mother and ran to embrace her. The woman introduced herself as Mrs. Robinson and said that Mary's real name is Mary Elizabeth Robinson. She explained that she left Mary to the care of her neighbour, Annie Gaccio, when she had to go to attend to her dying mother. After the funeral, she went back only to find that Annie had kidnapped Mary. She went to the police but no one could trace Annie. No one could trace Mary Robinson either. When Annie Gaccio was recently caught by the police stealing from a department store, she denied knowing any Mary Robinson. A policeman said that maybe they will try to search for a Mary Gaccio - in case Annie had changed Mary's surname. That search led her to Sweet Valley and to Mary. Realizing that Mary was very happy living in Sweet Valley, Mrs. Robinson accepted Mr. Altman's offer to help her look for a job there. Mary was very happy to be with her mother at last and to continue staying at Sweet Valley. She really liked her friends and her school. Elizabeth and Jessica were so happy for Mary. Elizabeth altered the newspaper article, retaining most of what Jessica wrote and adding "Written by Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield" making Jessica very happy. The school newspaper won in a contest and the recipe book which Jessica, Mary and their other friends wrote was selling well. More importantly, Jessica and Elizabeth realized how lucky they were that they had parents who loved them and took very good care of them. Review by: Alexandra Rodriguez age: 10