Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love by Lauren Tarshis is a very sweet and warm-hearted book.  Emma-Jean is an unbelievable but still lovable character who talks like Spock (“It is clear that Will is not suitable for me in any way”) and thinks like Jane out of Pride and Prejudice (same words and intonations, if thoughts have intonations, which of course they do). The whole book is not quite of our century; there are no cell phones, no instant messaging between girlfriends, and not one pre-teen uses the word “like” ten times in a sentence without “like” ever meaning to feel affection for or to be similar to. Actually, the whole fifties-vibe of crushes and spring fever and school dances was pretty refreshing.

The girls and boys that make up Emma-Jean’s middle school world are basically good and well-intentioned, and the problems they have to muddle through are typical for their age and their audience; this book provides encouragement for its readers, pre-teens approaching middle school and in need of a smile and a hug. Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love is one big smile and hug.  It provides comfort food,  even with the background landscapes of parental abandonment and mortality, and with the exploration of different cultures backing up Emma-Jean’s solid Connecticut lifestyle.

Tarshis’ Emma-Jean Lazarus books provide warm moments of self-discovery, healthy messages of friendship and self-confidence, and solid examples of healthy family relationships. These books are engaging, fun to read, and will leave readers under thirteen (and their read-along parents) riding a feel-good wave.