11 Birthdays facts for kids
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| Author | Wendy Mass |
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| Cover artist | Digital Vision (RF)/Getty Images, Digital rendering by Joe Zeff and Michael Frost, Cover design by Lillie Mear |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Willow Falls |
| Subject | Birthdays, Friendship, Time Loops, Magic |
| Genre | Fantasy, Realistic Fiction |
| Published | 2009 |
| Publisher | Scholastic Press |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 272 |
| Awards | William Allen White Award, and a 2009 Library Guild Selection |
| ISBN | 978-0-545-05239-9 |
| Followed by | Finally |
11 Birthdays is an exciting children's novel by Wendy Mass. It was published in 2009 by Scholastic Press. This book is the first in the popular Willow Falls series.
The story is about a young girl named Amanda Ellerby. She has always celebrated her birthday with her best friend, Leonard "Leo" Fitzpatrick. But as her 11th birthday gets close, they have a big fight. This changes their birthday tradition in ways they never expected. The book was chosen as a 2009 Library Guild Selection. It has also won many awards across the country.
Contents
What Happens in 11 Birthdays?
Amanda and Leo have been best friends since they were babies. They always celebrated their birthdays together. But on their 10th birthday, Amanda hears Leo saying mean things about her. This makes her very upset, and she stops talking to him.
The Never-Ending Birthday
Amanda's 11th birthday starts off badly. She feels sad and disappointed all day. When she wakes up the next morning, something strange happens. She realizes she is living her birthday all over again! She is stuck in a time loop.
A few days later, Amanda discovers that Leo is also stuck in the same time loop. They decide to work together to figure out what is happening. They become friends again and go on many adventures.
Uncovering Secrets
As they try to escape the time loop, Amanda and Leo learn about their families' past. They discover why their families have been fighting for so long. They also start to understand why they are stuck repeating the same day.
Finally, on what seems like the 11th time celebrating her birthday, Amanda wakes up again. She is frustrated, but then she sees Angelina, the bus driver. Angelina explains why they are in the time loop. She also tells them what they need to do to break free.
The Willow Falls Series
The Willow Falls series has five books. Each book focuses on a different main character. These characters all become friends throughout the series. All the stories are set in the small town of Willow Falls. Birthdays are always a big part of the magic in these books. A mysterious character named Angelina D’Angelo also appears in every story.
- 11 Birthdays (2009) - This is the first book in the series.
- 12 Finally (2010) - Rory Swenson has a list of things she wants to do when she turns 12. But a strange prediction from Angelina makes most of her plans go wrong.
- 13 Gifts (2011) - Tara Brennan is sent to Willow Falls as punishment. She tries to sell a stolen comic book. Then Angelina tells her she must find 13 special items by her 13th birthday.
- The Last Present (2013) - Grace Kelly falls into a frozen state on her 10th birthday. This could have been stopped if Angelina had given her a special blessing. Amanda and Leo's time loop curse changes. Now they can travel back in time to Grace's past birthdays. They try to give her the blessing, but soon learn what she truly needs.
- Graceful (2015) - Grace is still getting used to her new powers. She discovers something big that will happen in Willow Falls' future. This event is connected to other strange things happening in town.
