Leap Day    by Wendy Mass Order:  USA  Can Little, Brown & Co., 2004 (2004) Hardcover Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Melissa Parcel Josie Taylor awakens excited on her fourth birthday because today's the day she will get her driver's license. Fourth birthday? How is that possible? Because Josie's birthday is on February 29th, 'Leap Day,' which only occurs every four years, so she's really sixteen. Josie shares this special day with her best friends Megan, Katy, and Zoey, as well as a cast of school friends (and enemies), family, and even complete strangers. Besides getting her license, Josie also has tryouts for the school play, the annual sophomore scavenger hunt, and a special sixteenth-birthday celebration at the lake. Mix all this together, add the Orlando, Florida setting, and Josie and her friends are in for an exciting time. From the moment she wakes up until midnight that same night, her day is filled with surprises, adventures, and even some growing up. Leap Day is told in a unique format, divided into time segments - for instance, the first chapter is 7 a.m. to 8:20 a.m.. The first part of each chapter is told from Josie's point of view. We see everything that happens, from the people she meets to the conversations she has, through Josie's eyes. The second half of the chapter relates short segments from the point of view of each person she encounters. Readers get a peek inside everyone's head, see what they are thinking, and learn the motivations for the things they say and do. Josie was endearing from the first page, and I adored everything about her and her book. When it ended I wished it had kept on going! It's intriguing to see something through Josie's eyes, and know her thoughts about what happened, only to later realize that the person she talked to meant something completely different, and maybe the encounter with Josie changed their thoughts or actions. The reader is also given a glimpse into certain characters' futures, to see what will happen to them months or even years ahead. I highly recommend Leap Day. It is a freshly told story, full of realistic teens and the fun adventures that happen during a day in their lives. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews