Get Well, Gators! (Gator Girls)

From School Library Journal Grade 1-3-Allie and her best friend Amy are making big plans for the town fair that has been scheduled to raise money for a new playground. They decide to set up a storytelling booth and sing a duet in the talent show. However, things don't go as planned when Allie ends up in bed with the swamp flu. Everything in the story rings true-Allie and Amy are typical best friends, spending all of their time together or on the phone. During their forced separation, they both learn some important lessons. Amy discovers that not only can she perform alone, but also that she's good at it. Allie thinks that her friend has forgotten all about her until she hears the song that Amy sings. Munsinger's expressive illustrations bring the gators to life. The sight of poor Allie in bed with red spots on her snout, being made to eat peat moss soup, is one that any child will recognize. This chapter book is long enough to make beginning readers feel proud, yet easy to read. Fans of the earlier "Gator Girls" books will be happy to follow this new adventure, and newcomers will be inspired to go back and read the others.