Junonia by Kevin Henkes 176 pages

Kevin Henkes is one of my absolute favorite picture book authors. He won a well-deserved Caldecott award for Kitten's First Full Moon. Chrysanthemum, Julius, The Baby of the World, and Owen are miniature masterpieces that every child should experience. Henkes has written a few chapter books that are not world beaters (I did enjoy Sun & Spoon), but Junonia is a train-wreck. A small family, mother, father and precocious daughter, Alice return each year for a February vacation to their cottage on Sanibel Island, Florida. Alice's nose is out of joint when several of the usual vacationers can't make it this year. Her mother's best friend, Kate has the audacity to bring a male friend and his daughter, Mallory. Mallory is younger than Alice and is even more attention-hungry than Alice. Alice fears that her special birthday, her tenth will be spoiled by the bratty Mallory and an elderly neighbor who praises Mallory's beauty in Alice's hearing!!! Alice believes that the only thing that could save her besmirched birthday would be if she could find the elusive junonia shell.Yeah, I read the whole book hoping that either it would improve or Alice would be carried away by a riptide.