PENNY DRAWS A SCHOOL PLAY

Journal entries addressed to her dog, Cosmo, continue to help Penny navigate life’s more difficult situations.

Though things have been going OK for a while, Penny knows she needs to start writing letters to her dog again when her classmate Luke’s folded-paper fortuneteller predicts “unexpected surprises” are coming her way. The first surprise turns out to be that everyone will be required to participate in the fifth grade class play. As if that isn’t enough, next her parents suddenly announce they’re moving to a new house. This second series entry further explores Penny’s changing friendship with ex-bestie Violet. She also attempts to forge a friendship between two people she likes very much who unfortunately dislike each other. Navigating these uncomfortable changes and social situations requires Penny to step outside her comfort zone and lean on her coping mechanisms to deal with her anxiety. Discussions with her Feelings Teacher offer more useful strategies for young people with anxiety. Although Penny’s new friend group is supportive, readers will squirm with vicarious embarrassment from some of the situations she finds herself in. Parts of the narrative would have benefited from tightening, but many readers will feel seen and validated. The interspersed comics are a highlight, carrying surprising emotional weight and humor given their simplicity. Penny and her family read white.

A helpful story about a young anxiety sufferer navigating the unexpected.