Sarah Zorn is the best friend of Curtis Schwenk, younger brother of DJ Schwenk of Dairy Queen (Houghton Mifflin, 2006) fame. Sarah is a very analytical, logical kid in a small Wisconsin town and doesn't see why people can't accept that she and Curtis are just friends. But now, in the summer before eighth grade, she's a little unsettled by the fact that Curtis seems to like another girl. Sarah is trying to not think about this as she heads off to Rome with her grandmother, Z. Sarah's always known Z had her dad out of wedlock and turned him over to her parents to raise while she went off to find herself in California. But on their trip together Sarah learns more than she thinks she wants to know or is ready for about the rest of the story. She's really angry by the time they return. Why did Z share her pain and sadness? What is she supposed to do with this new information? Catherine Gilbert Murdock explores the tension and unease that kids can face as they mature and find out new things about the adults in their lives in a novel that is funny and warm and at times surprising. Murdock explores the complexities of relationships and the resilience of love through a girl whose mind is wired for organization and order and routine, and who is facing the challenge of learning to be a little more flexible and open. (Ages 10-13)

Fourteen-year-old Sarah Zorn intends to spend the Wisconsin summer with her "boyfriend" Curtis, waiting for a dead calf named Boris to decompose in time for the science fair. Her plans upend, however, when her fake-boyfriend strategy goes seriously awry just as her hippie Grandma Z invites her on a last-minute Roman holiday. As Sarah explores Italy's ancient wonders, she can't stop "boy-liking" Curtis . . . or puzzling over her grandmother's odd behavior. Written as Sarah's journal, this satisfying middle grade novel navigates the murky waters of first love, friendship, and family with heart and good humor.