Eva's Big Sleepover: A Branches Book

Owl Diaries #9

by Rebecca Elliott

Pick a book. Grow a Reader!

This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!

It's almost Eva's birthday, and she can't wait for her super-special sleepover. But one of her friends, Sue, doesn't seem to want to come. It won't be right without her there! Does Sue really not want to come? Or could she be having first-sleepover jitters? Eva will need to help Sue tackle her fear in time for the big party!

Genres: Childrens, Chapter Books, Fiction, Animals, Kids, Picture Books, School

80 pages, Library Binding

Published August 28, 2018

About the author

Rebecca Elliott is the author and illustrator of the best-selling Owl Diaries series (Scholastic US) & over 20 picture books including Just Because, Sometimes, Naked Trevor and Zoo Girl, for which she was nominated for the 2012 Kate Greenaway Medal.
Her new series The Unicorn Diaries (Scholastic US) & her first YA novel 'Pretty Funny ' (Penguin Random House) are out now.

Reviews

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super cute early chapter book series, good for ages 6+. Colorful design, a variety of characters, and each book has good lessons and discussion points. This one talked about including everyone and being afraid of new things.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

In this book, Sue doesn’t want to sleepover at Eva’s house because she hasn’t ever had a sleepover before. Sue is embarrassed about this and therefore does not tell her friends until Eva does every possible passive-aggressive way of weeding it out of Sue (but doesn’t ever simple ask her or allow her to just not come). Earlier in the book, Eva even says she doesn’t want Sue to come because she’s afraid Sue will be mean to her, following a fat-phobic comment from Sue. The communication between Eva and her apparent frenemy, Sue, is highly unfortunate contributor to the constant bombardment that girls get to perpetuate the social norms around talking behind people’s backs and putting an unhealthily obsession with being liked above all else.
I would give this book five stars Eva did basically the complete opposite of everything she did.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eva has one of the most epic sleepovers ever. She gets super bossy with a classmate, but it comes from a good place (which is rare in terms of bossiness).

Sadly, her and Sue end up in a fight to the death (after getting ice cream at the ice cream buffet) at her Hatchday bash and Eva is slain with a sickle. NOT hooter-rific. Sue goes from Meany McMeanerson to Meany McMurderson. Okay, so none of this paragraph happened.

Another cute book in a pretty consistent series with a nice message thrown in.

[chev ۫ ꣑ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

the summary + rating
I read it with my sister, and I felt that it was really touching! A solid 5/5!
this is part of the chev recollects series, where chev will dive deeper into children novels, which not many goodreads reviewers have done so and will like to recommend some interesting picks and books she used to enjoy/reading to her sister.
Like this review for a mention :p
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[Makayla]

These books are soooo popular at the library and I'm actually kind of a hater bc I don't like the illustrations and with the plot of this one, I get that it's supposed to be a message about inclusion but I don't think Eva should have had to invite Sue to her sleepover if she felt like Sue was mean to her. There are just so many incredibly written and beautifully illustrated early chapter books, why is this the one that everyone loves.

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute, great messages about being scared of new things or experiences and how with loving support you’ll get through it and may really enjoy it.

Note: Eva’s mom is a saint for allowing Eva’s entire class to sleepover!

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken]

Eleanor says: I love owls. I like this series because they are really fun and interesting. I like that it is written like someone’s diary. Sleepovers are so much fun. I’ve only been to two sleepovers. Mommy is very protective.

[Audrey Egan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clara really loved this one! She likes that Eva sometimes makes mistakes and then says she’s sorry. Clara likes that Eva is not perfect. Also, she loves the questions at the end of the book!

[Reneethereader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it. I liked that Sue faced her fear-ABQ

[zapkode · Rating 5 out of 5]

{My thoughts} – It’s almost time to celebrate Eva’s Hatchday! This is a very important day, because she’s celebrating the day she was born. Eva is so excited that she is going to have a sleep over party. Her and her friends plan and set up for the whole party.

Eva goes through a spot where she’s not sure if she wants to invite her classmate Sue. Sue wasn’t coming off as particularly nice and she starts to think if she invites her the party might be ruined. Eventually she does invite her and then everything turns out alright.

I always enjoy the little life lessons inside these books. In this one it is that just because someone isn’t nice to you, it doesn’t mean that you should be mean back. It also shows that sometimes when someone isn’t being really nice it is possible that something is bothering them as much as something might be bothering you.

I highly recommend these books. They teach nice little lessons. They are simple enough to read and understand and are illustrated with very colorful images.

[Alana Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book, but there was a part in the book that didn't make since.

[Kourtnie Neighbarger]

good

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owl Diaries Eva's Big Sleepover is a super fun and exciting book that tells the story of Eva, the owl, who decides to have a sleepover party for her birthday. But there's a little twist! Eva's friend Sue is too scared to come to the sleepover because she has never been to one before. Shhh, don't worry, I won't spoil everything!

First of all, let me tell you that this book is really short, and I can finish reading about ten of them in just five or maybe twenty-five minutes! But don't let the size fool you. It's packed with so much entertainment and joy. The best thing about these books is that they are super entertaining and funny. I laughed a lot while reading them!

In this book, Eva teaches us a very important lesson. She shows us that we should always have the courage to try new things. It's not always easy, especially when you're scared like Sue, but being brave and stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to amazing adventures and new friendships.

One of the things I found really cool is that owls don't call their birthdays "birthdays" as we do. They call them "hatch day"! I'm not exactly sure why they do that, but I think it's an owl thing. Isn't that interesting?

Now, let's talk about the funny parts! One of the funniest things in this book is when it says, "Eva's life is a real hoot." It made me giggle because it's a clever play on words. Also, Eva tells us what she likes and doesn't like. You know what? She likes the word "pebble"! Isn't that silly? And guess what she doesn't like? She doesn't like the word "slug." I thought that was hilarious!

In conclusion, Owl Diaries Eva's Big Sleepover is an amazing book that will make you laugh and teach you important lessons about bravery and trying new things. Even though it's short, it's full of entertainment and joy. So, if you're looking for a quick and funny read, I definitely recommend picking up this book. It's a real hoot!

This book has received glowing reviews and is a must-read for fans of the genre. Don't wait. Click the link to purchase your copy now!
https://amzn.to/3oDkfZs

I've got so much to say about this book. Watch my full review on my YouTube channel to hear all my thoughts.
https://youtu.be/9AbDNXssSbM

[Alicia Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Ava's birthday so she is having a super sleepover for her whole class, but Sue is wishy-washy about attending. At first Ava worries that Sue doesn't like her, so she collects her friends to learn Sue's motivations. The book is just as cute as the others in the series, but I kept thinking that there was a serious problem with boundaries. If Sue doesn't want to stay over, leave the poor owl alone! I thought the plot still fit with the established characterization, as Ava can be self-absorbed and then she learns her mistakes. Hopefully readers will take away both the don't-peer-pressure message as well as the overcoming-fears message.

For: fans of owls; readers wanting a diary format and fun illustrations.

Possible red flags: angst; peer pressure; overcoming fears.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eva has a sleepover for her hatchday party, but she doesn't want to invite Sue because Sue is perpetually saying mean things about her. I didn't like this one as much as some of the others in this series because I felt Eva's very valid feelings were being ignored. And she didn't say anything mean about Sue. She was talking about how she felt about the situation. And she wasn't being mean about it. She was very respectfully talking about her feelings. It's okay to talk about how someone makes you feel uncomfortable because they say mean things to you. Those are very valid feelings. It was nice that everyone got along in the end, but that's not realistic, and kids shouldn't be taught to deny their valid and appropriate feelings about being bullied. Did I use the word valid enough? 😆

[Anna Salvesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eva's birthday is on Saturday and she asks her friends to help her out. They make a party planning club to help plan the party. They think of great ideas and set up all those things at Eva's house. They decide to sleep in tents. Sue, one of the owls, said she wanted to come but she didn't want to stay overnight and yelled at Eva saying she didn't want to sleep over. Eva got really sad because she had never been hooted at before. Close to the end of the party when Sue's mom comes to pick her up, Sue changed her mind and decided to sleep over. Eva let her share her tent, Lucy gave her an extra pillow, someone else gave her a beak brush, and someone else gave her a sleeping bag.

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something so precious and lovely about this series, and this book was right up there with the rest of the series. I'm not actually sure what to say about this book that I have not already said about the other books in the series.
The graphics, plot, and place were all good. I liked the layout and organization into chapters, as well as how it looks like it's written on note paper.
Look wise my favorite owl is Sure, but character wise I think I really do like Eva most. I like them all though. Absolutely would recommend this for kids.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading these with my daughter over the past couple of months, and they're quite adorable little books. I enjoy seeing Eva's relationship with her earlier "frenemy," Sue, evolve as they learn more about each other and show more compassion for each other. I do find the whole co-ed slumber party a little implausible, even for owls (haha), but I like the ideas of inclusion and lifting each other up demonstrated by Eva and her classmates.

[🎲🎧❤️CHanCE💔🎼🎲 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eva was having a sleepover party but she did not want to invite sue because sue is mean to Eva. Evas mom told Eva to invite sue even though she is mean. But when sue came she did not want to sleepover because she was scared. Then Eva told sue that it is ok to scared usually everybody is scared sometimes. So sue stayed and had a great time.

[Emerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked: The full color illustrations are gorgeous! I also loved the comprehension questions at the end of the book -- first time I've seen that in early chapter books!

Dislike: I think this book was trying to show that you can't know what someone is thinking or feeling. But what I saw was an owl who was a "people pleaser" in the making. And a bit of a liar, too. Felt quite manipulative.

[Lyra Ng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book!

This book is the very best book in the woooooooooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllldddddddddddddddddddd. Really the best in the world, world, world, world, world, world, world, world, world, world, world, world!

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eva is so is empathetic, clever and perceptive, and figured out why Sue didn’t want to go to her sleepover. I also picked up at the end on how Sue’s mom came prepared.

The author, Rebecca Elliott, is talented at both story telling and illustrating!

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this adorable owl and her many adventures! Especially loved the big sleepover! 4.5 stars

[Awjtf · Rating 3 out of 5]

love these books!

[Jocelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this series! The stories are sweet and simple but, they are so good! I have not read a bad one yet.

[Ashley Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter and I loved reading this book together. The illustrations are great and the story sweet.

[emily azzara · Rating 5 out of 5]

McHugh

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

good

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A started first page last week/two weeks ago (?) & put down after reading birthday on first page. I read today and made changes to book - ready for her to read, good lesson.

First read (6/12/19) was mine, second read was hers - read over one night into the next morning, last two days of school!

5th OD book read - after loving the first one, we purchased #7-10 at the BV BOGO Book Fair on 5/15/19. This is a sweet, darling series - much better than JBJ in tone and content. A was motivated to start writing in her own diary (also bought at the fair) as she began reading this book because of how it is written. So sweet!

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute series- would recommend.