THE EXTREMELY EMBARRASSING LIFE OF LOTTIE BROOKS

An English tween seeks her place and her true voice.

Lottie Brooks, age 11 and 3/4, lives in Brighton—so she’s devastated that her best friend, Molly, has moved all the way to Australia. But fortunately, she has a plan for surviving her first year at her new school: She’s going to reinvent herself in hopes of avoiding the dire fate of having to sit alone at lunch, stuff “sandwiches into [her] mouth as quickly as possible,” and “hide in the bathroom.” When school starts, she makes a friend in new student Jess, develops a crush on Theo, and gets caught up in drama involving cool, popular frenemies Amber and Poppy. On top of all that, her parents announce that a new sibling is on the way. It’s bad enough she has Toby, her annoying 7-year-old brother; Lottie’s plan is going “spectacularly wrong!” The story, told through Lottie’s amusing diary entries and illustrated with stick figures and doodle-style line art, will reassure young people who are facing life transitions, helping them to put matters in perspective and be true to themselves—all without being preachy. Fans of Jacqueline Wilson, Marissa Moss, and Raina Telgemeier will be pleased. Lottie reads white, and the supporting cast surrounding her contains racial diversity.

A funny and reassuring reminder that no matter how great Plan A seems, sometimes Plan B turns out to be better.