Vivian Lantz's Second Chances

May 1, 2023
With affection and humor, Ormsbee (Growing Pangs) takes on a time-loop telling via an Austin eighth grader whose first day of school just won’t quit. From a preschool glitter incident to a bout of food poisoning in the fifth grade, each one of Vivian Lantz’s first days of school has been marred by what she thinks of as “the curse.” This year stands to be even worse, since Vivian’s best friend has moved away. Armed with wise words courtesy of her favorite fantasy author, Vivian launches herself into a foolproof self-reinvention plan: finding her style (rocker chic), joining the school paper (instead of writing fantasy fanfic), and wooing classmate Alex Fernandez (her crush for 23 months) by befriending a mean girl. The first day still doles out disaster after disaster, including her first period. But when the same day reprises the following morning, the event grants Vivian another chance—and sticks her in a time loop. As the days repeat and Vivian’s fully fleshed first-person voice forces her to become more deliberate with her choices, Ormsbee combines cringe-worthy moments with sweetly wrought relationships, creating supportive, caring day(s)-in-the-life circumstances around growing up. Vivian reads as bisexual and white; the secondary cast is intersectionally diverse. Ages 8–12. Agent: Beth Phelan, Gallt & Zacker Literary.

May 1, 2023
It's the first day of eighth grade...over and over again. Vivian Lantz has a bad first day every new school year, but she's determined to have a fresh start for eighth grade even though she'll be without her best friend, who recently moved away. She sets out to accomplish the tasks on her Master Plan, but right from the start, nothing goes as anticipated, and it ends up being the worst of her very bad first days. When she wakes up in the morning, though, it's Monday all over again. Vivian wants to use her second chance to have the perfect day, but with each time loop reset, she makes different choices that lead to her changing her mind about what her goals should be and what a perfect day would look like. This story set in Austin, Texas, successfully uses the repeating-day trope to explore the emotions and conflicts common in middle school, from friendship drama to new crushes to getting one's period for the first time. Just as Vivian, an aspiring author, relates to the characters and themes from her favorite fantasy book series, readers of this book will connect and empathize with bighearted Vivian even when she makes frustrating decisions. Vivian is cued White, is attracted to both guys and girls, and has queer dads; there is ethnic diversity among secondary characters. A warm, engaging coming-of-age tale with a sprinkle of magic. (Speculative fiction. 9-13)

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September 1, 2023
Vivian Lantz is determined to break her streak of terrible first days of school. She decides on a new style, writes out a plan in the notebook her best friend gave her before moving away, and is sure that this time will be perfect. But things go wrong on the first day of eighth grade, including a flood at home, a collision with a classmate that lands her in the mud, the unexpected start of her period, and an exchange with the school newspaper advisor that leaves her uncertain about following in her favorite writer's footsteps. She goes to bed, hoping for a better second day -- and instead wakes up to the first day of eighth grade, round two. Stuck in a time loop, Vivian tries to fix the day's mistakes, only to see things go wrong in different ways. The process repeats again and again, as Vivian discovers all the problems with her initial plan for eighth-grade success and learns a few things about friends, family, and charting her own path. Vivian's tween angst is palpable, and the book's lessons about making friends, learning whom to trust, and developing a sense of self are unsurprising but well delivered, making for an enjoyable read. Sarah Rettger

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2024
Vivian Lantz is determined to break her streak of terrible first days of school. She decides on a new style, writes out a plan in the notebook her best friend gave her before moving away, and is sure that this time will be perfect. But things go wrong on the first day of eighth grade, including a flood at home, a collision with a classmate that lands her in the mud, the unexpected start of her period, and an exchange with the school newspaper advisor that leaves her uncertain about following in her favorite writer's footsteps. She goes to bed, hoping for a better second day -- and instead wakes up to the first day of eighth grade, round two. Stuck in a time loop, Vivian tries to fix the day's mistakes, only to see things go wrong in different ways. The process repeats again and again, as Vivian discovers all the problems with her initial plan for eighth-grade success and learns a few things about friends, family, and charting her own path. Vivian's tween angst is palpable, and the book's lessons about making friends, learning whom to trust, and developing a sense of self are unsurprising but well delivered, making for an enjoyable read.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)