1. Out of Sight, Out of Mind: This was one of the first big changes in Abby Hayes’ world with Jessica moving to live with her Dad and step-family. Not only is Abby losing her best friend but her other friend, Natalie is drifting away from her leaving Abby isolated and lonely. I really enjoyed the real life lesson here about fading friendships as well as the small sadness at realizing Jessica has truy changed over the months and her old relationships won’t ever be the same. It’s not a big conflict but its a relatable one that I think all kids could connect with at one time or another.

2. Everything New under the Sun: This one is a bit more cliche as Abby encounters her cousin Cleo while staying with her dear old Gram over the summer. Cleo is everything she think she’s not, sophiscated, rich, a total-know it all with a laptop that she’s dying to have. Meanwhile, Cleo thinks she’s a slob, over-talkative and rude. They’re both writers too so they inevitably compeate in their writing program and for their Grandma’s praise. As you can imagine, they learn to find common ground but I think the choice in having them work together on a flip book to be creative and quite funny. Also maybe I have some nostalgia goggles here so its humor and my sentimentality bring it to the top 5.

3. The Best is Yet to Come: The first of the Abby Hayes super specials focuses on her graduation which is super exciting but what was the best part of the book was Abby’s tumulteous babysitting job for her mother’s friend whose child is spoiled and hippie-dippy to the extreme. It’s a bit of schedenfruede of me to enjoy the chaos of Abby accidentally giving the girl her first taste of sugar but it sure is funny. But it is also one of the few books that acknowledge that adults can be just as bad as kids in being petty, selfish and childish, using Abby to toss off her childrearng duties and then blaming her for not following vague instructions. I think it’s a good thing when stories show adults as falliable rather than ever-correct authority figures.

4. It’s Music to Me: Abby’s adventures in middle school bring new layers and new challenges as she experiences her first real crush on a jazz-loving band director. A crush that makes her go a bit woo-woo in ditching her friends and her love of art to pretend she’s a real music-appreciator as anyone. It’s a worthy lesson to discuss first crushes, commitments and being yourself even when you think conforming to your crush’s interests will catch their eye. You can’t keep up the act forever.

5. Reach for the Stars: This was one of the early books back when Abby was in third grade and this is the school play story so of course it gets into the top 5. Not only does it do the requisite learn to accept and embrace your small role when your friend gets the lead, but it utilizes Abby’s writing talent to create a whole new version of Peter Pan that’s fun to read.