Families who loved California Girls! by Ann M. Martin often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
Reach for this book when your daughter is facing a major life transition, such as a family move or the daunting leap into middle school. It is an ideal choice for the child who feels her world is changing too fast and needs to know that her siblings or friends can remain her anchor even when everything else looks different. The story follows the four Dawn sisters as they move from their familiar New Jersey life to the sunny but strange shores of California. It captures the bittersweet reality of leaving behind childhood haunts while navigating the shifting dynamics of sisterhood and personal identity. At its heart, this is a story about the resilience of family bonds and the messy, beautiful process of growing up. It is perfectly pitched for the pre-teen years, offering a safe space to explore feelings of loneliness and the hope of new beginnings.