Dory and the Real True Friend

Gr 2–4—Dory has quite the imagination. She has a monster for a friend, a fairy godmother who understands her, and a nemesis named Mrs. Gobble Gracker. When Dory starts a new year at school, however, she decides that it's time to make a real pal. After all, her monster friend caused a lot of trouble. Rosabelle, a girl her age who has an amazing imagination just like Dory seems like a good option. But Rosabelle doesn't seem to want to spend any time with her. Can Dory win her over? What will happen when Mrs. Gobble Gracker gets in the way? The story is well written, humorous, and engaging. The illustrations are amazingly detailed and complement the text well. The characters are fairly well developed and will grab young readers. Fans of Annie Barrows's "Ivy and Bean" (Chronicle), Barbara Park's "Junie B. Jones" (Random), and books with a little bit of humor and fantasy mixed into a school setting will enjoy reading this second installment in the "Dory" series.