Julia Gillian (and the Art of Knowing)

This is a very enjoyable little big book. I say little big because this 281 page book is almost square and has double spaces between the sentences and lots of delightful drawings illustrating the pages. So it has the feel of a big book but not the length. Minneapolis author, Alison McGhee takes us into the thoughts of Julia Gillian, a ten year old girl living near Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. She is a very quirky child who communicates with her very big dog telepathically. You will enjoy her papier-maché masks and her neighbors. You may empathize with her reluctance to finish a book she fears may have a bad ending. She has a route she walks with her St Bernard everyday but first she stops at Enzo's apartment where her 18 year old neighbor occasionally dispenses advice disguised in a story. I think younger readers, particularly 3rd or 4th graders will like this book.