This one took me a while to get into, but once I had the time to actually sit down with it for a bit, I was hooked. It's a powerful story about so many things everyone experiences as they grow in life. Readers aren't Annabelle, but I'm sure a lot of them could relate to her dread of encountering the class bully or her fear as a dear friend is in trouble. I liked that Annabelle felt comfortable turning to her parents for guidance, even if it took her a while to come around. Annabelle's parents were refreshingly present and caring (so many middle grade novels have useless parents!). 
 I'll admit, I went into reading Wolf Hollow with a bit of trepidation. Despite it's rave reviews, I had heard some so-so reviews from trusted librarians as well. Mostly the complaints were that it was overwritten and not for the targeted audience (middle grade). I see where they were coming from - this is not an easy read for kids and may only really connect with readers who have a strong vocabulary and good reading comprehension. But what is wrong with that? My task will be putting this books into the hands of kids who have been looking for books that will challenge them and have long since moved on from the Wimpy Kid series.