Happy Birthday, Sophie Hartley by Stephanie Greene

It’s almost Sophie’s double-digit birthday and things are off to a rocky start.  Even though her dad had said, “Wonderful!” when Sophie told him she wanted a baby gorilla for her big day, deep down, Sophie knew it wasn’t going to be as easy as all that.

And now, older sister, Nora, has decided to move to the attic, leaving Sophie bereft and alone, with only a “tiny sliver of light under her door for company.”

Things are changing and readers will empathize with dear Sophie as she struggles to find her way along the sometimes bumpy road of a 9, almost 10, year old girl growing up as the middle child in a busy, but loving family.

With humor, poignancy, and deftly written and carefully composed subplots, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SOPHIE HARTLEY is a book young readers will enjoy mightily, admiring both Sophie’s stick-to-itiveness and spunk, and the wonderful way the story comes full circle, leaving Sophie with a gift that’s far better than even she could have imagined.