Eight-year-old Sara Simpson wants to do something extra-ordinary, but she thinks she’s the most normal girl on the planet. She trades names with a friend in class when they have a substitute teacher, but that only results in a lower spelling-test grade. She thinks having a middle name will help, but her friends make suggestions like “Tornado” and “Taco.” Her dad calls her the “Idea Girl,” and she finally comes up with the perfect idea for saving her favorite restaurant. It not only works, but it also fulfills her wish that people would say, “Here comes Sarah Simpson!” Newbery Award–winning author Naylor enters Amber Brown territory with her newest series Simply Sarah. Sarah’s a spunky, creative girl with a multicultural group of friends living in Chicago. Her mother’s an artist and her father is away on business. Ramsey’s watercolor illustrations are a nice complement even if they don’t match the text in a couple places. The shelves might be full of similar series, but Sarah should find her fans with a little help. (Fiction 7-10)
