Penny Draws a Secret Adventure

Starred review from January 15, 2024
While Penny adjusts to her noisy newborn siblings, she tries to figure out a complicated treasure map and even more complicated friendships and feelings. Now that the twins are home from the hospital, Penny and little brother Juice Box are struggling to adjust; it's tough with all the crying, plus a new babysitter. And Penny and Juice Box have to help choose names for the babies, and they can't agree. Penny's also trying to be OK with the fact that bestie Maria is studying for the spelling bee with mutual friend Chloe, though it makes her feel inadequate. The discovery of a bunch of unidentified keys helps Penny and her friends open the locked box they'd found in the attic, and the treasure map inside leads them to the most terrifying house in the neighborhood, where a witch supposedly lives. Amid all this, a school project forces Penny to consider what her own good qualities are. Though ex-friend Riley is still around to (mostly) antagonize Penny, Mrs. Hines, the Feelings Teacher, keeps helping her navigate all the upheaval. This third series entry offers yet more humor and genuine positivity along with an honest portrayal of how anxiety can affect young people. The third volume moves more quickly than the previous two, yet it maintains the wit and warmth (greatly supported by the charming black-and-white cartoon illustrations) that readers have come to expect from Penny's escapades. A sympathetic and amusing account of a young anxiety sufferer navigating life changes. (Fiction. 8-12)

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