Happily Ever Emma - Hardcover

Sally Warner (www.sallywarner.com) has published more than twenty novels for young readers, including the Emma and EllRay Jakes series. She lives in Altadena, California with her husband and their not-so-miniature dachshund, Rocky. 

The sixth in Warner’s series finds third-grader Emma focused on a problem at home. She is disappointed to find out that her mother, divorced for two years, needs adult company and has been dating someone for months. Emma tries clumsily to make the relationship go away, and Warner realistically depicts a child’s confusing feelings in this situation as well as a single mother’s anger over bad behavior. Harper’s charming illustrations—varied in size but almost always featuring Emma—keep the story light as the adults figure out how to “handle things.” As Emma says, “That’s how grown-ups put it, like there’s a handle on top of every problem.” Grades 2-4. --Abby Nolan