Sincerely, Sophie Eleven year old Sophie Turner lives in Manhattan and attends an all-girls private school, but some difficult changes have left her feeling very lonely. When Sophie's best friend, Jessie, suddenly rejects her for a faster crowd and the Turner family begins to break down, Sophie's only source of comfort is the distant voice of her school-assigned pen pal, Katie. Sincerely, Katie Eleven year old Katie Franklin lives in California, and she thinks life is perfect. When she and her best friend, Jake, spearhead a charity project for earthquake victims in Mexico, Katie couldn't be happier. But when Jake starts paying attention to another girl, Katie get jealous, and does some things she isn't proud of at all. No one at home understands her, but she does have one friend she can open up to--her pen pal, Sophie. Two realistic, gentle novels in one about dealing with transitions and divorce, friendship and jealousy, Sincerely looks at the enduring power of friendship--even from miles away. "An affecting portrayal of family and friendships in flux, and of the heroines’ burgeoning self-knowledge and confidence."-- Publishers Weekly Courtney Sheinmel is a chocolate-lover, mac and cheese expert, mom to Archer, and the author of nearly thirty books for kids and teens, including the acclaimed Stella Batts and My Pet Slime series for young readers. Her book She Persisted: Helen Keller was part of Chelsea Clinton’s She Persisted series. Courtney received a National Scholastic Educator Award for her work as a writing instructor at the nonprofit Writopia Lab. Visit her online at CourtneySheinmel.com. One EVERYTHING CHANGED LAST fall when I started sixth grade. For one thing, it was the first time that the teacher wasn’t the tallest person in the class. Jillian Harris came back from summer vacation and looked like she had grown a foot taller. She was at least two inches taller than our teacher, Ms. Brisbin. Then there was Jessie, my best friend. She started acting differently, too. All of sudden all she seemed to care about was boys. And me, well, I think I started to become a grown-up. Well, maybe not a grown-up exactly. It’s not like I had to get a job and pay my own bills, but I definitely didn’t feel like a little kid anymore. It all began on the first really cold day of the season. That Friday I woke up to my sister Haley’s voice. She always woke me up before I was actually ready. “I’ll just wear pants under my skirt!” Haley said to herself excitedly. Even when Haley talks to herself, she’s loud. I hadn’t opened my eyes yet and wondered if I was still dreaming. I rolled over toward the wall and squeezed my eyes shut tighter. “Hey, Sophie,” Haley called. “Time to wake up! Should I wear leggings or jeans?” I groaned and rolled over. I hated sharing a room with Haley. I never got any privacy or peace and quiet. “What are you talking about?” I asked. Haley bounded toward my bed with two pairs of pants. “Mom said I have to wear pants today because it’s going to be really cold, so which ones?” she said. “The jeans, I guess,” I said. Usually Haley and I wear uniforms to school—gray skirts with white blouses. But on Fridays we’re allowed to wear whatever we want. I like to wear jeans every chance I get, but Haley hates wearing pants. She’s four years younger than I am, and she likes to wear a skirt or a dress every day, even on Fridays. Haley climbed onto my bed. “I think I’m going to wear my purple skirt over them,” she told me. “Haley, get off my bed,” I said. I stretched out my arms and legs so there wouldn’t be any room for her. “That skirt is going to look really stupid over your jeans.” “No, it won’t,” Haley insisted. “The jeans will be just like tights.” She jumped off the bed and went to the closet. “Oh, purple skirt, where are you?” she called. She moved some hangers aside noisily. I was sure she was making a mess, and I was already preparing to complain to Mom so that I wouldn’t get blamed and have to clean it up myself. “Oh, there you are!” Haley exclaimed suddenly. She yanked on the skirt and the hanger crashed to the ground. Even though Haley’s only in second grade and pretty small for her age, she makes a lot of noise and takes up a lot of space. You always know when she’s in the room. Haley’s good at being the center of attention, but I like things to be quieter. “You better clean that up,” I told her. “I will,” she said. “After breakfast. Mom said I could make it myself.” “Where’s Dad?” I asked. Dad usually made breakfast. Mom called him the family chef. “He went to work early,” Haley said. I watched her pull her skirt on over her jeans. “Now it’s waffle time,” she said, and she skipped out of the room. I got out of bed after Haley left. I knew exactly what I wanted to wear: my favorite jeans and a pink long-sleeved shirt. I had pink Converse sneakers that matched the shirt perfectly. I like things to match, even though Jessie told me that pink is a babyish color. A month befo