Thirteen Going on Seven

Dee and Dezzy may be twins, but they're radically different. Dee has lot of friends and likes clothes, rock music and boys. Dezzy, on the other hand, prefers the company of her family and still enjoys childhood pleasures, like choosing a treat from the pediatrician's treasure chest. Dee excels in school, but Dezzy, who struggles with a learning disability, rejoices when her science teacher gives her a C-minus. The two can't even agree on how to spend their 13th birthday. Dee, exasperated, tells Dezzy that she's ``thirteen going on seven'' and later demands her own bedroom. Dezzy can't help feeling inadequate, but various events--all of them believable--allow her to realize her own worth. Sachs plants significant milestones in what is essentially a coming-of-age story: Dezzy waking up to her first period, acquiring her first male friend and mourning the death of a grandparent. Her novel, gentle but cheerfully told, should captivate its target audience. Ages 10-14. (June)