Sleepover Friends #1: Patti's Luck

In this first book of the Sleepover Friends series, Stephanie invites a new girl in school, Patti, to the Friday-evening sleepovers she has with Lauren and Kate. During a TV movie, Kate imitates an actress and puts a curse on Pattiand it seems to work. Only Lauren and Patti notice, but Patti can't do anything right. The act of curing Patti involves a couple of false starts, but her luck does turn, and it benefits them all. The characters sound and behave alike, almost indistinguishable from one another. But the realistic sleepover atmosphere, capitalized on several times, holds this book together: late-night movies, spooky sounds, creating hairstyles, boy talk and buckets of junk food. Ages 8-12. (August)