The protagonist is on the cusp of a birthday and must go through a journey of self-discovery and enlightenment guided by the enigmatic Angelina. Mass revisits familiar ground with a plot that loosely follows the formula of her previous novels, 11 Birthdays (2009) and Finally (2010). Banished to her aunt’s house for the summer, Tara soon finds herself embroiled in another mishap. She also longs to understand her mother’s mystifying need to continually move.

Years of constant relocation have caused the reclusive Tara to avoid forming friendships. Mysteries abound as readers return to Willow Falls in this third installment of the series. “A rash decision involving attempted theft of a school mascot sets into motion a series of life-altering events for nearly 13-year-old Tara. Because, in Willow Falls, anything’s possible, and nothing is as it seems. With a big dose of birthday magic, 13 Gifts will make readers laugh, think, and possibly even hum a show tune or two. And that’s just for starters! Tara’s adventures take her and her new friends to places they’d never thought they’d find, some in the real world, and a lot deep inside themselves.

Like losing-her- immortal-soul kind of bad. If Tara can’t collect thirteen mysterious objects for the old woman in time for her rapidly approaching thirteenth birthday, the consequences will be REALLY BAD. There’s a boy who sings in the bottom of an empty pool, two best friends who use blackboards to Communicate (Amanda and Leo from 11 BIRTHDAYS), and a green-eyed girl who may-or may not-be dating the world’s hottest teen movie star (Rory from FINALLY)ĭue to another huge lapse in judgment, Tara finds herself beholden to perhaps the strangest person of all: Angelina D’Angelo. Tara quickly learns that Emily isn’t even remotely the strangest person in town. As punishment for her misdeed, Tara’s parents send her to the sleepy little town of Willow Falls to stay with relatives she hardly knows, including her eleven-year-old cousin Emily, who, the last time they were together, ate an entire stick of glue. It doesn’t take long for Tara Brennan to realize that breaking into school to steal a goat while wielding a can of pepper spray is not a good idea. Buy the Book: Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Audible

Wendy mass birthday series