Books with author Betty Ren Wright

A girl learns that glamour isn’t always what it seems: “Well written with humor, strong characterization, and a convincing plot” (School Library Journal). Twelve-year-old Caroline feels torn. She grieves over her sister who has a severe heart problem that keeps her in and out of the hospital. But at the same time, she is jealous of her sister’s beauty and sweet disposition, which causes everyone to admire her. Caroline longs to be beautiful, to get attention from her parents—just to be somebody, anybody, other than plain old Caroline Cabot. Her self-image changes, however, when she meets glamorous seventeen-year-old Lillina MacGregor. Lillina makes her feel like somebody, but does Lillina tell the truth? Is she really 17? And married? And a model in New York? Caroline must rely on her inner strengths as she discovers the truth about Lillina, and will face several challenging situations during “the summer of Mrs. MacGregor.”

This fifth-grader is not too fond of her new step-grandmother—“an affecting funny story” (Publishers Weekly). When summer comes, Emily is looking forward to spending more time with Grandfather. Ever since Grandma Ellen’s death, Emily has felt especially close to him. He’s never too busy to listen to her, and he always understands her feelings. But Emily’s summer is unexpectedly ruined when Grandfather returns from a vacation with a new wife. Her name is Marjorie, and Emily hates her. There’s no way Marjorie can replace Grandma Ellen, and she’s certain to destroy Grandfather’s happiness. So Emily decides to get rid of her. The jealousy and problems caused by Marjorie’s arrival are refreshingly handled in the first novel by Betty Ren Wright.

Best-selling author Betty Ren Wright earned eight state awards for this middle-grade mystery about a murder kept secret in a dollhouse. Amy is terrified. She hears scratching and scurrying noises coming from the dollhouse, and the dolls she was playing with are not where she left them. Dolls can't move by themselves, she tells herself. But every night when Amy goes into the attic to check on the dollhouse, it is filled with an eerie light and the dolls have moved again! Are the dolls trying to tell her something? Are their movements connected to grisly murders of her own great-grandparents?