11 Birthdays

Imagine if you relived your 11th birthday over and over?

The answer is found in the pages of Wendy Mass’s delightful, sweet, and funny page-turner, 11 Birthdays! Pick up this book if you want to add a little magic to your day. It even has a little mystery to it. Bonus!

If Groundhog Day-like stories are your preferred type of magic, then this book is for you. This story about two former friends who are forced to relive their birthdays because of a family curse was a huge inspiration to me early on in my writing career. It motivated me to try writing stories that mix reality with magic, and it continues to be one of my absolute favorite middle-grade reads to this day. Not only is it a story about magic gone wrong, but at its core, it’s a story about friendship, family, and second chances.

Two best friends, Amanda and Leo, have spent every one of their birthdays together until a falling out between the two. Then, on their eleventh birthday, they realize they’re stuck reliving the same day… over and over again! The two ex-friends must work together to trace the root behind this bizarre magic that’s only affecting them. A Groundhog Day pitched at kids, 11 Birthdays perfectly captures the trials and anxiety of friendships at that age. Growing up, I moved schools a lot; the longest I’ve lived in a place was five years. Unfortunately, this meant a lot of my friendships… show more.