THIRTEEN NEVER CHANGES Budge Wilson. Toronto, ON: Scholastic-TAB, 1989. 142pp., paper, $3.95. ISBN 0-590-73303-4. CIP. Subject Headings: Diaries-Fiction-Fiction. Grandmothers-Fiction. Grades 5-9 / Ages 10-14 Reviewed by Lynne McAvoy. Volume 18 Number 3 1990 May In our first encounter with thirteen-year-old Lorinda Dauphinee, she is preparing for a trip to Vancouver to attend her maternal grandmother's funeral. Lorinda is frustrated by the fact that she did not know her grandmother well. She has never had to deal with death before and does not know what to expect at the funeral. After the funeral, Lorinda gets a second chance to get to know her grandmother. As a young girl, her grandmother started writing a diary of her experiences and feelings and she kept it up until she was in her early thirties. This treasure trove of intimate secrets is passed on to Lorinda, who starts to read it and is quickly caught up in the life of her grandmother as a young girl of thirteen. She is surprised to discover that many of her own feelings and thoughts about being thirteen were shared by her grandmother. The author paints the setting of the Maritimes with the care of someone who loves the region. The realism and interest in the area come from her early life in Nova Scotia. She has written several fictional works, including The Worst Christmas Present Ever ¹. The cover of the book is appealing. It shows a young girl looking wistfully out of her bedroom window towards a bay. The type used is clear and the diary entries are presented in italics. This makes the distinction between Lorinda's life and the life in the diary very clear. This would be a good book for a library serving young people and would appeal to younger teens. Lynne McAvoy, Ottawa Public Library, Ottawa, ON. ¹ Reviewed vol. Xlll/3 May 1985, p.117.