How will Orca distinguish its new series of chapter books, Orca Echoes, in a market glutted with fiction for beginning readers? Perhaps by providing a variety of genres. The first batch includes: one strong historical offering, The Birthday Girl, by Jean Little, reminiscent in its homey details of Little House on the Prairie; one likeable alien fantasy, Down the Chimney with Googol and Googolplex, by Nelly Kazenbroot; and one contemporary story, A Noodle Up Your Nose, by Frieda Wishinsky. All three stories move breezily and strike the right balance between accessibility and stimulation. All the plots, however, will seem stale to anyone older than eight.

Wishinsky’s story is the most likely to appeal to young readers as it treats an important concern in their lives: birthday party diplomacy. The bouncy protagonist, Kate, designs her party with a pirate theme, and is persuaded by her mother to invite the entire class, even Violet, whose interests are clothes, one-upmanship, and gossip. When Violet overlooks her invitation, and believes she’s been snubbed, she sets out to sabotage Kate’s party. But for the intervention of Kate’s best friend, Jake, all would have been lost.

Laliberté’s cartoony illustrations ooze personality. Kate’s hurried dark pigtails reveal her energy, while Violet’s perfect blonde bangs frame her jaded expression. The illustrations might be clichéd, but they’re effective in supporting Wishinsky’s economical character development.

Wishinsky avoids too-easy resolution when wrapping up the plot; vile Violet is unredeemed in this acute sketch of classroom politics. However, Wishinsky does succumb to the prevailing trend in parent culture, which censures those (like Violet’s family) who buy birthday cakes and invitations instead of making them, as Kate does.