3 Willows

Written by Ann Brashares

Most enjoyed by girls in 5th through 8th grade

Ama, Polly, and Jo have been best friends since 3rd grade when they cemented their friendship by planting three willow trees together in the park. Now, they've graduated from 8th grade and high school is only a summer away. Ready for a change, the three begin to drift away from each other. Ama has applied for a summer camp in the hopes of getting a top grade that will look good on her school records. Polly discovers through a relative that her grandmother had once been a model. Jo, hoping to be accepted by the cool high schoolers, takes a job busing tables at the local restaurant. But despite their wishes, summer has plans of its own.

Ama gets accepted into a wilderness camp which was not the camp she wanted. She wants to quit but how can she when her sister never quit anything? Polly enrolls in modeling school without the support of her mother, who spends hours in her art studio. When Polly visits the studio, she makes a discovery that turns her life upside down. Jo's summer seems to get off to a rocky start until she meets handsome Zach on the bus ride home. It looks like a summer of romance for Jo until Zach's girlfriend from last summer shows up.

'3 Willows' is about friendship, dreams, families, and learning about yourself. I liked Ama, Polly, and Jo right from the start. All three are easy to like, so much so that I found myself wanting the book to continue so I could find out what happens to them next. Despite the troubles they run into, none of them give up. Instead, they discover that they each need to put their own stamp on the world instead of trying to conform. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the next one in the series.