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The Winnie Years #3
Twelve - Audio
New York Times-bestselling author Lauren Myracle is back for another year of ups and downs with Eleven's fabulous Winnie
Winnie Perry went through a lot when she was eleven, from shifting friendships to her teenage sister's mood swings. But now that Winnie is twelve-and one step closer to being a teenager herself-there is so much more to deal with. Will her new friendship with Dinah Last? Can she handle the pressures of junior high? And, most important, will Winnie survive bra shopping (in public!) with Mom?
Winnie Perry went through a lot when she was eleven, from shifting friendships to her teenage sister's mood swings. But now that Winnie is twelve-and one step closer to being a teenager herself-there is so much more to deal with. Will her new friendship with Dinah Last? Can she handle the pressures of junior high? And, most important, will Winnie survive bra shopping (in public!) with Mom?
Audio CD
First published March 1, 2007
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About the author
Lauren Myracle
94 books2,022 followersLauren Myracle is the author of numerous young adult novels. She was born in 1969 in North Carolina. Lauren Myracle holds an MA in English from Colorado State University and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. she has written many novels, including the famous IM books, ttyl, ttfn, and l8r, g8r.
Her first novel, Kissing Kate, was selected as one of ALA's "Best Books for Young Adults" for the year 2004. It was named by Booklist as one of the "Top Ten Youth Romances" of the year, as well as one of the "Top Ten Books by New Writers." Her middle-grade novel, Eleven, came out 2004, followed by its YA sequels (Twelve, Thirteen, Thirteen Plus One) .
Her first novel, Kissing Kate, was selected as one of ALA's "Best Books for Young Adults" for the year 2004. It was named by Booklist as one of the "Top Ten Youth Romances" of the year, as well as one of the "Top Ten Books by New Writers." Her middle-grade novel, Eleven, came out 2004, followed by its YA sequels (Twelve, Thirteen, Thirteen Plus One) .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 490 reviews
November 30, 2012
I think Lauren Myracle has stolen my diary. In this book, Winnie must brave the embarrassing world of becoming a woman. Ugh. The humor and spot on emotions of this book resonated with me, but more importantly, made my daughter comfortable enough to talk with me about the enormous subject matter of growing up as a girl. We both agree it kind of stinks. In all sincerity, thank you Ms. Myracle for making an icky subject something my daughter and I can share a laugh about. Knowing girls like Winnie have survived puberty gives my young lady hope that she can too.
February 2, 2009
Book two: Winnie Perry just turned twelve! Now that that she is one step closer to being a teenager big changes are in the future. Winnie has to deal with getting her ears pierced,sleepaway camp,junior high,and a new boy that she calls Lars. When Lars and Winnie start dating everything changes,her life,her clothes,and personnal style.Instead of wearing baggy Mcdonalds t-shirts, she is wearing tight fitted normal 7th grade girl clothes.The worst change of all is that she develops, meaning bra shopping with her mom in public!!! Will Winnie survive 7th grade or will she fail in miserable doom?Read Twelve by Lauren Myracle to find out!
I liked this book because it had alot of humor and everyday situations.I reccommend this book to all girls who are struggling to be who they want to be.
I liked this book because it had alot of humor and everyday situations.I reccommend this book to all girls who are struggling to be who they want to be.
March 5, 2008
Along the lines of "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret," by Judy Blume, "Twelve" is for today's pre-teens/tweens. Some words and phrases that may be objectionable to a certain segment of our patrons: hard-on, v-word, vagina, boobs, boobful, boobed, "with boob," etc.
I thought it was a fun read, using real kid language in the dialog and capturing that whole adolescent angst-y feeling fabulously.
I thought it was a fun read, using real kid language in the dialog and capturing that whole adolescent angst-y feeling fabulously.
February 10, 2010
Title(s): Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen
Rating: A+
Review: I decided to review all of these books together because, well, I read them all together. I read the first one on a whim, a decision to develop myself "professionally" (because I dream that, when I'm finished with my MLS program, that I'll be a kick-butt YA and children's services librarian in a public library who will help reluctant readers find the book that will help them turn the corner and develop a lifelong love of reading). I read plenty of YA and had recently started to dip my toes into MG (at the urging of my nephew), but needed a broader scope. I didn't intend to like these books because I'm not in their target audience.
But you know the crazy thing?
Even though I was reading them with, "I wonder what fifth- or sixth-grade girl I can recommend these to," in my mind, I loved them. Not for someone else, but for myself. They were really funny. I laughed out loud. And the lessons learned were poignant and spot-on for what girls that age struggle with (some of which are things that girls of all ages--even those of us who are well beyond the middle grades--struggle with). The voice of Winnie is so honest; she tries to be good, but she isn't always successful. She's just real.
And that tends to be the way that Myracle writes all of her characters in all of her books. She's just really good at creating interesting characters. You might not absolutely love every single character in all of her books (I didn't love all the characters in this series), but you can always find someone you connect with. And that's what reading is all about--watching somebody else make life's mistakes in one way or another and learning from them.
I have recommended this book to a very nice young sixth grader who I interact with in a volunteering role that I have and, after I explained the conflict of the first book, she was hooked. She can't wait for me to check with her mom to make sure it's okay for her to read these. And that's what's so great about Myracle: she writes books that you want to read.
So, in summary, Myracle's positive qualities are:
1. She writes characters that you can connect with.
2. She writes books that you want to read.
3. She's funny (which I might not have explicitly said, but is still true).
Let me leave you with this snippet from a scene where Winnie (age 13) has gone to ask her older sister, Sandra (17), and her sister's boyfriend, Bo (also 17), for advice on kissing (page 55):
So, to make this long post a little bit longer, I only intended to read the first book, but whizzed right through it and promptly went back out and picked up the next two and buzzed right through them. I was actually quite disappointed to find out this was only a trilogy. I want more Winnie Perry.
Recommendation: I recommend that you read absolutely everything by Lauren Myracle. Young Adult, Middle Grade, doesn't matter, just read it. (And add E. Lockhart while you're at it for good measure.)
Rating: A+
Review: I decided to review all of these books together because, well, I read them all together. I read the first one on a whim, a decision to develop myself "professionally" (because I dream that, when I'm finished with my MLS program, that I'll be a kick-butt YA and children's services librarian in a public library who will help reluctant readers find the book that will help them turn the corner and develop a lifelong love of reading). I read plenty of YA and had recently started to dip my toes into MG (at the urging of my nephew), but needed a broader scope. I didn't intend to like these books because I'm not in their target audience.
But you know the crazy thing?
Even though I was reading them with, "I wonder what fifth- or sixth-grade girl I can recommend these to," in my mind, I loved them. Not for someone else, but for myself. They were really funny. I laughed out loud. And the lessons learned were poignant and spot-on for what girls that age struggle with (some of which are things that girls of all ages--even those of us who are well beyond the middle grades--struggle with). The voice of Winnie is so honest; she tries to be good, but she isn't always successful. She's just real.
And that tends to be the way that Myracle writes all of her characters in all of her books. She's just really good at creating interesting characters. You might not absolutely love every single character in all of her books (I didn't love all the characters in this series), but you can always find someone you connect with. And that's what reading is all about--watching somebody else make life's mistakes in one way or another and learning from them.
I have recommended this book to a very nice young sixth grader who I interact with in a volunteering role that I have and, after I explained the conflict of the first book, she was hooked. She can't wait for me to check with her mom to make sure it's okay for her to read these. And that's what's so great about Myracle: she writes books that you want to read.
So, in summary, Myracle's positive qualities are:
1. She writes characters that you can connect with.
2. She writes books that you want to read.
3. She's funny (which I might not have explicitly said, but is still true).
Let me leave you with this snippet from a scene where Winnie (age 13) has gone to ask her older sister, Sandra (17), and her sister's boyfriend, Bo (also 17), for advice on kissing (page 55):
"I was hoping we could discuss kissing," [I said:].And, since we're on the topic of funny (and a little bit sweet) things that happen in the book, let me share this, which isn't truly a spoiler (page 63):
"Oh, good God," Sandra said. "Winnie."
I blushed, but the thing about Sandra and Bo (unless Sandra was in one of her moods) was that I could blush around them and still keep going.
"I just don't understand what you do with your tongues," I said.
"How many tongues do you have?" Bo asked.
"Ha ha," I said. "One that belongs to me, one that belongs to someone else."
Lars looked at me. His face was right there, inches from mine, and I knew this was it: the moment of the first kiss.You'll have to read the books to see how "the kiss" turns out.
He leaned in. I giggled and drew back. My breathing grew shallow, and my heart drummed against my ribs, more out of nervousness than anticipation. Extreme, horrible, freak-out nervousness, the kind I occasionally experienced before having to give an oral presentation or introduce myself to a crowd of strangers.
Lars tried again. I turned my head from his. I didn't mean to--I so didn't mean to--but it was too much, being in the actual moment and thinking, Oh, god, lips. His. Mine. Touching!
An anxious laugh made a very strange sound coming out of me. I could feel my smile go rubbery.
He learned in. I pulled back. He leaned in further. I did a bob and a duck maneuver. It was bad. Bad, bad, bad. And the worst part of it all was the doubt creeping into his eyes. He thought I didn't want him to kiss me, but I did!
"Winnie?" he said.
"Yes?" I squeaked. My cheeks burned.
So, to make this long post a little bit longer, I only intended to read the first book, but whizzed right through it and promptly went back out and picked up the next two and buzzed right through them. I was actually quite disappointed to find out this was only a trilogy. I want more Winnie Perry.
Recommendation: I recommend that you read absolutely everything by Lauren Myracle. Young Adult, Middle Grade, doesn't matter, just read it. (And add E. Lockhart while you're at it for good measure.)
October 15, 2010
I can see this one disturbing some patrons. Adolescence is messy. It has the most graphic description of tampon application I have ever read (and boy I could have really used reading it in 7th grade when one of my friends had a birthday party at Wild Waves. Why me! I still feel the embarrassment.) Overall, 'Twelve' read pretty pitch-perfect to me- the reluctance to admit that maybe your mom is right and you do need a bra, the borderline paranoia that people might notice you in a swimsuit, the shifting friendships, your first crush, etc. So much drama. Realizing that sometimes the big jerk is you and being big enough to admit it.
Think of it as Blume's 'Are You There God? It's me, Margaret' for contemporary tweens.
Think of it as Blume's 'Are You There God? It's me, Margaret' for contemporary tweens.
December 21, 2008
My daughter is reading this series and I thought I would read it along with her. There is a good discussion in the book of a girl getting her period for the first time, and the reaction of friends to who has and who has not started. This sparked a good discussion with my daughter, which was nice.
I liked that the physical changes the girls are going through are approached openly. Not quite like a Judy Blume book where the changes are front and center, but well done nonetheless. Sandra, the older sister, even encourages Winnie to read some Judy Blume, which I appreciated.
Overall a good series, so far. We are moving on to Thirteen next!
I liked that the physical changes the girls are going through are approached openly. Not quite like a Judy Blume book where the changes are front and center, but well done nonetheless. Sandra, the older sister, even encourages Winnie to read some Judy Blume, which I appreciated.
Overall a good series, so far. We are moving on to Thirteen next!
November 24, 2008
I bought this for my niece, who's almost 13, but thought I should read it before I gave it to her to make sure that there's nothing she shouldn't read. So far it's just normal 12 year old drama, like buying your first bra. :-)
*****
There was one page that was questionable so I called my SIL and talked to her. Other than that, it was a really cute book about the trials and tribulations of being a girl who's hitting puberty. If I was 12 I'd have liked it a lot more, but even at 29 it was cute and brought up a lot of memories. We do all have an embarrassing period story. :-)
*****
There was one page that was questionable so I called my SIL and talked to her. Other than that, it was a really cute book about the trials and tribulations of being a girl who's hitting puberty. If I was 12 I'd have liked it a lot more, but even at 29 it was cute and brought up a lot of memories. We do all have an embarrassing period story. :-)
August 23, 2024
[gr] ΤΣΙΡΙΖΩ. Αναμφίβολα 5 αστεράκια, εδώ κανενός η εμφάνιση δε με έκανε να αμφισβητήσω τη βαθμολογία μου. Αντιθέτως! Σε αυτό το βιβλίο επιβεβαιώνεται πόσο αδυναμία έχω στα ρομαντικά αν και δε το παραδέχομαι όσο θα ήθελα. Από τη μέση και μετά το ρούφηξα κυριολεκτικά και δε κατάλαβα πότε πέρασε η ώρα! (Και τώρα είναι 6 τα ξημερώματα ενώ δεν έχω καν κοιμηθεί το βράδυ!!)
Είχε πολύ ζουμί εδώ, αποφοίτηση από το δημοτικό, γυμνάσιο, νέες φιλίες, περίοδος, δράματα και έρωτες. Τέλειος συνδυασμός για να με κάνει να θεωρήσω αυτό το αγαπημένο μου (μέχρι τώρα).
Όταν διάβαζα τη τελευταία σελίδα και τη γύρισα για να δω τη συνέχεια ξαφνικά είδα μία κενή σελίδα και τινάχτηκα ολόκληρη… δε κατάλαβα καν ότι το τελείωσα. ΘΕΛΩ ΚΙ ΑΛΛΟ. Βουρ για το 13! ΤΩΡΑ.
[en] I’M SCREAMING. I didn’t want it to end, I didn’t even realise I reached the final page! It’s a five-star all the way, absolutely no doubts! This book also proves my weakness for romance that I rarely admit out loud… In the final chapters I was really feeling like a 12-year-old, shaking my legs in excitement!
We got some serious juice in this book, so much that I will call it my favourite (for now). And now I’m going to start the next one! AHHHH
Είχε πολύ ζουμί εδώ, αποφοίτηση από το δημοτικό, γυμνάσιο, νέες φιλίες, περίοδος, δράματα και έρωτες. Τέλειος συνδυασμός για να με κάνει να θεωρήσω αυτό το αγαπημένο μου (μέχρι τώρα).
Όταν διάβαζα τη τελευταία σελίδα και τη γύρισα για να δω τη συνέχεια ξαφνικά είδα μία κενή σελίδα και τινάχτηκα ολόκληρη… δε κατάλαβα καν ότι το τελείωσα. ΘΕΛΩ ΚΙ ΑΛΛΟ. Βουρ για το 13! ΤΩΡΑ.
[en] I’M SCREAMING. I didn’t want it to end, I didn’t even realise I reached the final page! It’s a five-star all the way, absolutely no doubts! This book also proves my weakness for romance that I rarely admit out loud… In the final chapters I was really feeling like a 12-year-old, shaking my legs in excitement!
We got some serious juice in this book, so much that I will call it my favourite (for now). And now I’m going to start the next one! AHHHH
August 11, 2016
reads very much like a modern day judy blume novel - and the author cites JB as an influence.
not my favorite genre - but I can see this as serving a useful purpose for some girls. in a perfect world parents lovingly and perfectly instruct and guide their children through coming-of-age milestones, but sometimes it can be nice (as a kid) to read about these experiences, written with a touch of humor, privately as well. it could effectively be used as a tool for discussion with your child (if all parties were warm to the idea) - but i'm trying to figure out the best age to introduce this. i think it depends on the child. some twelve year olds would be "too sophisticated" for this book - but i can think of aspects that would make my ten-year-old uncomfortable.
not my favorite genre - but I can see this as serving a useful purpose for some girls. in a perfect world parents lovingly and perfectly instruct and guide their children through coming-of-age milestones, but sometimes it can be nice (as a kid) to read about these experiences, written with a touch of humor, privately as well. it could effectively be used as a tool for discussion with your child (if all parties were warm to the idea) - but i'm trying to figure out the best age to introduce this. i think it depends on the child. some twelve year olds would be "too sophisticated" for this book - but i can think of aspects that would make my ten-year-old uncomfortable.
May 10, 2012
I really like this series, which is funny because I'm not really a fan of Myracle's other stuff.
I love the voice in the Winnie books - she's one of the few authors who can actually drag me back to that age when reading. She nails a lot of hard to nail feelings and situations.
I read Eleven and liked it, and when a patron complained about content in "Twelve" I read it so that I could discuss it with her. It's true that (SPOILERS) Myracle writes about tampons, periods, and erections. But she does so with the utmost attention to context and how these sorts of things might have come across to a 12 year old. I actually found the whole erection passage (which is extremely short, a few sentences) to be informative and far from prurient.
I love the voice in the Winnie books - she's one of the few authors who can actually drag me back to that age when reading. She nails a lot of hard to nail feelings and situations.
I read Eleven and liked it, and when a patron complained about content in "Twelve" I read it so that I could discuss it with her. It's true that (SPOILERS) Myracle writes about tampons, periods, and erections. But she does so with the utmost attention to context and how these sorts of things might have come across to a 12 year old. I actually found the whole erection passage (which is extremely short, a few sentences) to be informative and far from prurient.
January 26, 2016
This book was a very good one to read. First off, I would like to give my recommendations to this book. I would highly recommend this book to young adult women, and even though the front cover looks like for little kids, don't judge a book by its cover! I think the strength in this book is the drama the author put in. Lauren Myracle made me had a feeling of excitement of what is going to happen next. In the story, I could relate to the character Winnie. I was surprised at how her personalities were like mine. I am glad to read this book and will read the next one sooner or later!
October 3, 2008
Funny, and very true! Love it!
March 24, 2021
I’ll be honest, it has been a long time since I read this book, so I don’t know how qualified I am to write a review on it. However, it crossed my mind the other day, and I remembered how much I treasured this series. It was available in the elementary school library (I think I read it in fifth grade), which was great because I could hide the picture of the bra on the spine from my mom, in order to not bring up any awkward discussions. Just reading the summary now brought back gallons of the embarrassment of my adolescence, but all jokes aside, I probably read this book multiple times between the ages of ten and eleven. It was the best puberty talk I got, because it’s written in such a relatable way for a tween girl. I don’t remember much of the plot, but I do know that this book was super helpful for the coming years. So, mothers: buy this book for your daughter. Heck, buy the whole series. If memory serves, it will make your child’s life ten times less awkward.
December 5, 2017
This book is relateble and funny. It was written in a correct tone withj a lot of detail. Overall a good book.
November 3, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 30, 2025
Can I just say this book morphed me from a girl to a teenage girl lol i would honestly love to read this as an adult bc i read this about 10 times in middle school
August 3, 2023
so nostalgic
December 28, 2010
The begging is knida borining/weird, but it gets better!
12.5.10 im on page 21
Winnie just turned 12 and went out for a special dinner with her new best friend because her old best friend started acting wicked bratty, so she has a older sister named Sandra who is now 16 and is very impatient to get her drivers lisence but when her oprituntie comes she gets nervous and doesnt get her license. I think that this book is a little strange at the begging.This book is not for boys. And has a lot of "drama and girl stuff".
But i cant figure out why Winnie's sister Sandra get her licence if she wanted to do it so bad?
12.11.10 im on page 65
Winnie has a little brother Ty, i have a little brother Jackson, sometimes i get fusterated with him like winnie does. but in the end Winnie always shows love for Ty.
12.19.10 im on page 89
I think that Winnie's old best friend Amanda is just using Winnie until Gale (Amanda's new best friend) gets back from her summer camp, and then Winnie is going to get "hurt" again like the first time Amanda dumped Winnie for Gale. I think Winnie shouldn't get to "obbsesd" in the friendship because Amanda seems like one of those people who will hang out with any one then be by herself. She is a person who cant handle not having a group around her. I think Winnie is going to realize that and then if Gale leaves again Winnie might reject Amanda.
12.24.10 Im on page 167
Winnie's class had a subsitute and her class decided that it woukd be funny if they "messed" the teacher up, they decided on the attendence that after the teacher called their name they would tell the teacher that the name on the attendence was wrong. For example, William said his name was Bill. Winnie got invited to a party and she went. Since her friend Dinah wasnt invited I think that they are going to not be as good friends, they dont do the same activities and are not in the same homerooms. It seems like Winnie's friend Cinnamon is "moving in" on Dinah's best friend spot. I think Dinah is going to have a new best friend (besides Winnie)named Vantia because she does Hip-hop club with her. In the book it says " Sometimes i felt jelous that Dinah had another friend besides me (not counting Cinnamon, who was friends with both of us)." This makes me think about if Winnie thinks that Dinah is capable of making other firneds besides her.
12.25.10 I finished the book
It was a good book filled with a lot of drama! Winnie and her friend Cinnamon call Dinah to see what she though about Winnie, then Cinnamon and Dinah did it to Winnie and Winnie was basically trash talking about Dinah and she heard everything that Winnie said. All in all i though this book was really different, i though it was a different type of writing but i liked it! :)
12.5.10 im on page 21
Winnie just turned 12 and went out for a special dinner with her new best friend because her old best friend started acting wicked bratty, so she has a older sister named Sandra who is now 16 and is very impatient to get her drivers lisence but when her oprituntie comes she gets nervous and doesnt get her license. I think that this book is a little strange at the begging.This book is not for boys. And has a lot of "drama and girl stuff".
But i cant figure out why Winnie's sister Sandra get her licence if she wanted to do it so bad?
12.11.10 im on page 65
Winnie has a little brother Ty, i have a little brother Jackson, sometimes i get fusterated with him like winnie does. but in the end Winnie always shows love for Ty.
12.19.10 im on page 89
I think that Winnie's old best friend Amanda is just using Winnie until Gale (Amanda's new best friend) gets back from her summer camp, and then Winnie is going to get "hurt" again like the first time Amanda dumped Winnie for Gale. I think Winnie shouldn't get to "obbsesd" in the friendship because Amanda seems like one of those people who will hang out with any one then be by herself. She is a person who cant handle not having a group around her. I think Winnie is going to realize that and then if Gale leaves again Winnie might reject Amanda.
12.24.10 Im on page 167
Winnie's class had a subsitute and her class decided that it woukd be funny if they "messed" the teacher up, they decided on the attendence that after the teacher called their name they would tell the teacher that the name on the attendence was wrong. For example, William said his name was Bill. Winnie got invited to a party and she went. Since her friend Dinah wasnt invited I think that they are going to not be as good friends, they dont do the same activities and are not in the same homerooms. It seems like Winnie's friend Cinnamon is "moving in" on Dinah's best friend spot. I think Dinah is going to have a new best friend (besides Winnie)named Vantia because she does Hip-hop club with her. In the book it says " Sometimes i felt jelous that Dinah had another friend besides me (not counting Cinnamon, who was friends with both of us)." This makes me think about if Winnie thinks that Dinah is capable of making other firneds besides her.
12.25.10 I finished the book
It was a good book filled with a lot of drama! Winnie and her friend Cinnamon call Dinah to see what she though about Winnie, then Cinnamon and Dinah did it to Winnie and Winnie was basically trash talking about Dinah and she heard everything that Winnie said. All in all i though this book was really different, i though it was a different type of writing but i liked it! :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2023
ISBN – 9 78 0 14 2410912 Author - Lauren Myracle
This book is the second part of a three part series about Winnie. Winnie is a bit older (12 now) and the book starts out around her birthday again like the earlier book. Again the book is organized by months and the chapters loosely revolve around the school and summer seasons for Winnie. I read this book because my girlfriend’s daughter (Emily) and I had a good time critically analyzing (Ok, maybe I dragged her into the critical analysis a bit) the last book and she asked me if I wanted to read this one as well. Once again Winnie faces many challenges. She has “mostly” gotten over the loss of her friend (Amanda) from the last book and had made a very good new friend named Dinah. But Dinah lacks in some things. In this book the girls move out of elementary school into junior high which was a big deal because of the change of schools and all of the new folks in the classes. Once again the theme of the book seems to center around change and the capacity of a human being (a 12 year old girl) to handle the change.
Winnie is invited to “Camp Winding Gap” by Amanda her best ex-friend from the last book. She seems to feel a little bad for Dinah because of going to camp with Amanda. Winnie’s mother says that Amanda and Dinah are apples and oranges. Winnie just cannot make up her mind which she likes better. At camp a piece of equipment hurts Winnie’s foot but the other girls console her with Mike and Ike’s and Hot Tamales (All adults understand the powerful pain relief capabilities of these candies). Winnie shows her wild side later when she suggests that a bunch of the girls should go skinny dipping in a secluded part of the lake. Winnie surprised this reader by disrobing and jumping right into the lake. Amanda was a bit shy but is eventually coaxed into the lake. They are then caught by one of the counselors named Amy who initially yelled at them and then disrobed herself to join them. Winnie is getting more courageous and having fun…… She describes Amy as having “ginormous” breasts.
The book has a lot to do with physical changes for Winnie. She enters womanhood with a bang and she struggles with her entry. She has some anxiety about travelling to the store with her mother to purchase a bra. This is a big deal in the book and Winnie seems to hesitate and want to remain a child a bit longer. She has issues with girls at school that dress in a manner that accentuates their more advanced development. Winnie’s mother more or less insists that it is time for her to wear one. However, I cannot help but think that her mother handles the issue and Winnie’s ambivalence rather well. They shop for a bra and Winnie is very self-conscious of being seen. Her mother soldiers through it all well and they get several bras (one was “nude” in color and this really fascinated Winnie). Winnie’s mother had a tough time explaining how the color was important so that it would not show through a shirt. Later, her physical changes reach a peak when she has her period for the first time. She is forced to learn about feminine hygiene from her sister Sandra. At first Sandra is a bit matter of fact about the entire thing. Later she seems to understand Winnie’s need to talk. Winnie’s thoughts on feminine products are quite funny. Her interpretation of the tampon instructions was funny as well. Of course while all of this is going on she is invited to a pool party. She accepts the invitation although the “timing” of the party is not good. Of course, she is humiliated in the pool when (due to faulty installation) she loses her tampon. Whoops, she leaves in a hurry and is consoled by Sandra. Winnie later dreams that the pool was closed as a result and they were looking for the guilty party.
Winnie seems to be over the anger issues of the Amanda/Dinah friendship issues from the last book. She truly is a great pal to Dinah but really is the leader since Dinah is a bit more socially challenged. Winnie meets a new girl named Cinnamon (at school) who seems like a good kid but she has a slight mean streak when it comes to talking on the phone. Cinnamon likes to get another girl on the phone and then conference a third party on the call. She then commences to bait one girl to talk about the other. After Winnie participates in this little trick with Cinnamon and Dinah she falls for it herself. Dinah was kind to Winnie on the phone when Winnie was the unknown silent participant on the call. When asked about the relationship progress of Winnie and a boy in class Dinah really sticks up for her friend. Later Cinnamon calls Winnie and asks her some questions about Dinah. In the call Winnie makes a few “less than flattering” comments about Dinah. Of course, Dinah is in on the conference call, without Winnie knowing it, and the comments are devastating to Dinah. They also have a profound effect on Winnie. Winnie is crushed, and to her credit, takes full responsibility for this horrible atrocity. The reader finds himself/herself hoping that Dinah will forgive Winnie for this transgression of friendship (I felt as though my own heart was ripped from my chest! I felt bad for Dinah and a little sore at Winnie!). Although Dinah ultimately does, the suffering goes on for some time and Dinah does not just roll over. Winnie seems to have learned a valuable lesson.
The book keeps revisiting Winnie’s interest in a young boy named Lars (short for Larson). Throughout the book Winnie makes eyes at him and the three girls talk about it including during the phone tricks that Cinnamon conducts earlier. At the end of the book Lars and Winnie sit down and his finger touches her hand. Winnie thinks it may have been an accident but likes it just the same. I think Winnie is starting to like change a little better. She is a big girl now.
In the short time between this book and the last Winnie is better able to handle change. It even seems that she is better at it at the end of this book than she was at the beginning. Winnie is clearly on the way out of childhood and approaching womanhood. She makes this journey in the physical, mental and emotional sense. Once again, the book was a look back for me and I realize that “change is something that is never conquered but managed.”
Mark D
This book is the second part of a three part series about Winnie. Winnie is a bit older (12 now) and the book starts out around her birthday again like the earlier book. Again the book is organized by months and the chapters loosely revolve around the school and summer seasons for Winnie. I read this book because my girlfriend’s daughter (Emily) and I had a good time critically analyzing (Ok, maybe I dragged her into the critical analysis a bit) the last book and she asked me if I wanted to read this one as well. Once again Winnie faces many challenges. She has “mostly” gotten over the loss of her friend (Amanda) from the last book and had made a very good new friend named Dinah. But Dinah lacks in some things. In this book the girls move out of elementary school into junior high which was a big deal because of the change of schools and all of the new folks in the classes. Once again the theme of the book seems to center around change and the capacity of a human being (a 12 year old girl) to handle the change.
Winnie is invited to “Camp Winding Gap” by Amanda her best ex-friend from the last book. She seems to feel a little bad for Dinah because of going to camp with Amanda. Winnie’s mother says that Amanda and Dinah are apples and oranges. Winnie just cannot make up her mind which she likes better. At camp a piece of equipment hurts Winnie’s foot but the other girls console her with Mike and Ike’s and Hot Tamales (All adults understand the powerful pain relief capabilities of these candies). Winnie shows her wild side later when she suggests that a bunch of the girls should go skinny dipping in a secluded part of the lake. Winnie surprised this reader by disrobing and jumping right into the lake. Amanda was a bit shy but is eventually coaxed into the lake. They are then caught by one of the counselors named Amy who initially yelled at them and then disrobed herself to join them. Winnie is getting more courageous and having fun…… She describes Amy as having “ginormous” breasts.
The book has a lot to do with physical changes for Winnie. She enters womanhood with a bang and she struggles with her entry. She has some anxiety about travelling to the store with her mother to purchase a bra. This is a big deal in the book and Winnie seems to hesitate and want to remain a child a bit longer. She has issues with girls at school that dress in a manner that accentuates their more advanced development. Winnie’s mother more or less insists that it is time for her to wear one. However, I cannot help but think that her mother handles the issue and Winnie’s ambivalence rather well. They shop for a bra and Winnie is very self-conscious of being seen. Her mother soldiers through it all well and they get several bras (one was “nude” in color and this really fascinated Winnie). Winnie’s mother had a tough time explaining how the color was important so that it would not show through a shirt. Later, her physical changes reach a peak when she has her period for the first time. She is forced to learn about feminine hygiene from her sister Sandra. At first Sandra is a bit matter of fact about the entire thing. Later she seems to understand Winnie’s need to talk. Winnie’s thoughts on feminine products are quite funny. Her interpretation of the tampon instructions was funny as well. Of course while all of this is going on she is invited to a pool party. She accepts the invitation although the “timing” of the party is not good. Of course, she is humiliated in the pool when (due to faulty installation) she loses her tampon. Whoops, she leaves in a hurry and is consoled by Sandra. Winnie later dreams that the pool was closed as a result and they were looking for the guilty party.
Winnie seems to be over the anger issues of the Amanda/Dinah friendship issues from the last book. She truly is a great pal to Dinah but really is the leader since Dinah is a bit more socially challenged. Winnie meets a new girl named Cinnamon (at school) who seems like a good kid but she has a slight mean streak when it comes to talking on the phone. Cinnamon likes to get another girl on the phone and then conference a third party on the call. She then commences to bait one girl to talk about the other. After Winnie participates in this little trick with Cinnamon and Dinah she falls for it herself. Dinah was kind to Winnie on the phone when Winnie was the unknown silent participant on the call. When asked about the relationship progress of Winnie and a boy in class Dinah really sticks up for her friend. Later Cinnamon calls Winnie and asks her some questions about Dinah. In the call Winnie makes a few “less than flattering” comments about Dinah. Of course, Dinah is in on the conference call, without Winnie knowing it, and the comments are devastating to Dinah. They also have a profound effect on Winnie. Winnie is crushed, and to her credit, takes full responsibility for this horrible atrocity. The reader finds himself/herself hoping that Dinah will forgive Winnie for this transgression of friendship (I felt as though my own heart was ripped from my chest! I felt bad for Dinah and a little sore at Winnie!). Although Dinah ultimately does, the suffering goes on for some time and Dinah does not just roll over. Winnie seems to have learned a valuable lesson.
The book keeps revisiting Winnie’s interest in a young boy named Lars (short for Larson). Throughout the book Winnie makes eyes at him and the three girls talk about it including during the phone tricks that Cinnamon conducts earlier. At the end of the book Lars and Winnie sit down and his finger touches her hand. Winnie thinks it may have been an accident but likes it just the same. I think Winnie is starting to like change a little better. She is a big girl now.
In the short time between this book and the last Winnie is better able to handle change. It even seems that she is better at it at the end of this book than she was at the beginning. Winnie is clearly on the way out of childhood and approaching womanhood. She makes this journey in the physical, mental and emotional sense. Once again, the book was a look back for me and I realize that “change is something that is never conquered but managed.”
Mark D
August 21, 2012
I liked this book because it got into details really fast, so i never got bored. Twelve is about a girl named Winnie who she starts going through some changes, but all Winnie wants to do is stay a kid. Winnie also starts to loose here best friend Amanda when a new girl comes to school named Gail. So Winnie decides to be friends with another girl Dina. I also liked this book because Winnie decribes her years and what she goes though, in the summer and school year. The author probably wrote this book to describe what there childhood was like and how some things that Winnie went through are similar to what the author went through. I think that Winnie is now realizing that she has to change to become more of a woman and to become a teenager. Twelve is the third book of the Winnie years series and I think that you really learn alot about Winnie in this book and how she is starting to become a little bit more of a teenager. I would reccomend this book to people who like learning about girls there age and changes that you will go through.
August 29, 2014
Hysterical. Sweet. Darling. Adorable. Heartbreaking. I love this book so much. I want every twelve-year-old girl who resembles Winnie to read it...so spot-on and exactly how it feels to be this age as a white, middle-class tween. Winnie is truly human and every bit of twelve. I love this series. I wish I could say that everyone would embrace it, but they won't. I'm not sure I can have it on my shelves...Some sixth grade parents may not be ready to address some of the topics that come up. Even though it's perfectly rooted in reality....puberty, language, references to sex, bras and body parts (typical Blume-like topics), this is the stuff that pushes some buttons. I will never really understand why many parents tend to accept morbid, over-the-top violence yet throw a fit when "boobs" enter the picture. It's a real shame.
January 28, 2021
EDIT: 01/28/2021
I reread this to see if it was as strange as I remembered and it totally was. One thing that I noticed is that Myracle actually does a really good job of accurately capturing how a 12 year old girl thinks and perceives things. Reading this now I realize how similar some of Winnie's thoughts were to mine at that age lmao.
01/29/2018
I read this when I was ten and thought it was so inappropriate because it talked about breasts. Fun times. Only thing I remember was she got chased by yellow jackets, but at the time I didn't know they were bugs so I thought it was a bunch of flying jackets.
I reread this to see if it was as strange as I remembered and it totally was. One thing that I noticed is that Myracle actually does a really good job of accurately capturing how a 12 year old girl thinks and perceives things. Reading this now I realize how similar some of Winnie's thoughts were to mine at that age lmao.
01/29/2018
I read this when I was ten and thought it was so inappropriate because it talked about breasts. Fun times. Only thing I remember was she got chased by yellow jackets, but at the time I didn't know they were bugs so I thought it was a bunch of flying jackets.
June 17, 2013
Very good book about growing up. This is the first Lauren Myracle book I've read and I hope to read more. Winnie is a very lovable character and her friends and very easy to like. I recommend this to anyone who is scared to get older and what happens to the body. This was a very well written book. I hope to read the rest of the Winnie Perry serie books.
Rating: 7/10
Parental Rating: 12+ (Mind that it does talk about what is going on during puberty to a girls body and in some spots; a boys)
Rating: 7/10
Parental Rating: 12+ (Mind that it does talk about what is going on during puberty to a girls body and in some spots; a boys)
November 5, 2014
In the book twelve it was about a girl Winnie, starting the seventh grade and her birthday is coming up and she wants it to be the best one ever. She goes through lots of changes with school, boys and much more.
I am giving this book 2 stars because it was a pretty short book and it wasn't my style. i would not recommend this book to anyone.l
I am giving this book 2 stars because it was a pretty short book and it wasn't my style. i would not recommend this book to anyone.l
June 15, 2012
This was a good book about a girl named winnie who just turned twelve. When a girl named Gail comes to her school she starts to lose her best friend Amanda. So winnie goes on and makes a new friend named Dina. Winnie also struggles with changes she is going through.
December 13, 2008
This book is all about a girl turning twelve and all the things she gets. Now she gets new friends, a new school, and a new life.
August 12, 2010
I read this a while back, and loved every second of it. It showed the true journey of growing up.
October 22, 2010
A lot of things happen to Winnie as she is tweleve...
December 15, 2010
It is kind of girly and a little silly.
April 29, 2011
This was a very good book. I think Winnie does not appreciate Diana until the end and I liked how she finally did :)
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