The second book in the series and I could finally read it! A schoolplay, new friends, worries, and more!

So in November 2023 I read Book 1, then in March 2024 I was able to read book 3 (which I thought was Book 2, imagine that surprise), and now I am finally able to read the missing book 2! Because my library finally has it, in Dutch that is, but I will take it!

There are no real surprises for me in the book because I read the third book (thinking it was the second), but I don’t mind that! Now I will get the full picture and that just makes me happy.

In this one Penny/Jessie moves to a new home because with 2 babies upcoming the house is just too small. I loved that the parents allowed the kids to view the house + all the rooms before actually going for it, but I just kinda wish that they had done it a bit better. I get that it was a WE NEED TO DO THIS NOW, but you have one kid with full on anxiety in your house, maybe not go this route. So yeah, throughout the book we see Penny/Jessie get used to her new home, miss her old home and wonder if it is doing well, worry about the weird sound upstairs, worry about the tree house that her dad is building (to be fair, I would also worry about that given how dad isn’t the best in building stuff). But thankfully, we also see her settle in, make her room 100% hers, help out her dad, make a new friend and more. And that I love. A lot of people like Penny/Jessie would just hide and get emotional, but Penny/Jessie keeps trying. It helps that she has a teacher/counsellor and of course plenty of friends.

The play was such a fun thing, though I wasn’t a fan of that Romy girl (not sure if that is her English name, again, read this one in Dutch) who thought she was the big thing, I am glad that the teacher was not impressed by it all. I loved that the play was written by one of Penny/Jessie’s friends and while the play was a bit weird, I kinda wish I could have been there to see it. I was so proud of Penny/Jessie to go for it. She could have hidden away. She could have cried. But instead she took that bat role and then later also took a deep dive when more was added to it, I was just so proud of her. I was rooting and cheering for her. Go Penny/Jessie!

I also loved seeing all the friends Penny/Jessie has. They are an interesting bunch, and I also love that they are there for Penny/Jessie when she has too many worries. We also have a new friend, Chloe, who brings along some more worries when something is revealed. I did love Chloe though, she is a fun addition to the group! Plus, seeing Penny/Jessie reunite with an ex-friend also made me happy.

And of course, the pregnancy is still going strong. The twins haven’t been born yet. We see in this book that it affects Juice Box/Sappie the most.

While at times the worries got a bit much, I don’t mind them that much, especially since Penny/Jessie did her best. At times the worries seemed to take over, but she had help from various people.

Lastly, Cosmo!! My cute adorable doggo.

I was confused by the Dutch translation. At one point Penny/Jessie’s grandmother pops in and calls Penny/Jessie her favourite grandchild, to which Penny/Jessie states she is the only grandchild. But what about Penny/Jessie’s brother?

The art was oodles of fun again, and I just love how it really feels like our MC is drawing it all herself!

All in all, I hope that there are many more Penny/Jessie books coming out because these books are just way too much fun! I devour them in one sitting. I would recommend them to all.