Staff Review: "The Last Present" by Wendy Mass

Wendy Mass' Willow Falls series comes to an end with "The Last Present."  The rest of the books in the series-"11 Birthdays", "Finally", and "13 Gifts"-don't need to be read in any particular order and are more like companions.  But this one needs to be read last because it ties all the loose ends together-like the bow on a giant birthday present?

Birthdays are special in Willow Falls.  Angelina D'Angelo, the oldest and strangest woman in town, always seems to be around when unusual things happen.  She's there for every birth and every birthday as long as anyone can remember. She's part fairy godmother, part evil stepsister. 

In this exciting conclusion of the series, Conor's younger sister, Grace is in a coma.  Angelina explains that the only way to save her is for Amanda and Leo, with help from Rory and Tara, to travel back in time.  They need to go to each of her birthday parties and keep the magic spell from being broken. 

This series is great for middle grade readers.  It has a surprising happy ending.  It's a story about friendship with a bit of beginning romance, but nothing a boy won't read or empathize with. Two books in this series, "11 Birthday" and "13 Gifts", were nominated for the Mark Twain Readers Award from MASL.

--Angie RH, Headquarters