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So much happened at the end of fifth grade! Our mice multiplied, a cute boy in math started I.M.ing me, an annoying girl (Suze the Ooze) tried to take over my best friend, and Miguel, my sort-of boyfriend, suddenly got all quiet. I was worried (you know me!) but next thing you know, visitors arrived from abroad, and I, Melanie the Tourist, became Melanie the Tour Guide. It was fun to show off New York, and I learned all about my world-famous hometown. But I also learned this: It's harder than you think to like two guys at one time!!

You'll love Melanie in Manhattan whether this is your first or fourth Melanie adventure. Buy it now at your favorite store or powells.com or bn.com or right here at amazon.

Here are some reviews:

"It's the spring of fifth grade, and Melanie Martin is consumed with typical tween angst. In her diary, the 11-year-old writes about the new girl who's co-opting her best friend, her annoying little brother, and her crush, who happens to live on another continent. When Miguel comes for a visit, Melanie becomes a tour guide to her hometown."
--New York Magazine, Top Five Books For Summer Reading

"Literary livewire Carol Weston's Melanie Martin series is big fun for wise kids and their parents. The latest, Melanie in Manhattan, explores that city with Weston's inherent wit and verve."
--Philadelphia Inquirer

"A Real West Side Character"
--West Side Spirit, Kids' Pick of the Week

"Young adult novelist Carol Weston's irrepressible and fickle heroine dallies with two boys in Melanie in Manhattan (Knopf)."
--Vanity Fair, Hot Type, March 2005

"new tween novel, Melanie in Manhattan (Knopf, $15.95) in which the main character explores New York City cultural institutions..."
--Newsweek, Feb 21, 2005

"Home--for a travel adventure? Yes, our globetrotting, diary-keeping Melanie sees her own Manhattan with fresh eyes when Miguel, the boy whom she met in Spain, comes to vist and she takes him sightseeing. This fourth outing is a thoroughly enjoyable pre-teen insider's view of the island that will amuse those who know the Big Apple and those who've only read about it. They're buying cheese at Zabar's; riding the subway; visiting the Frick Museum; hailing cabs; walking across the Brooklyn Bridge; and seeing the original Winnie the Pooh (in New York Public Library's Central Children's Room). Her rediscovered excitement over New York's renowned attractions is realistically expressed through her diary entries; the device is engaging as Melanie sends her friends e-mails and frets over liking two boys at the same time: Miguel and a classmate. She still uses her trademark triplicate words, makes up rhymes, and inserts phonetic pronunciations of all the Spanish words she learns. Fans will want more, more, more. Fun, fun, fun."
--Kirkus

"a hilarious romp through the Big Apple"
--Girls' Life

"Melanie has already been to Spain, Holland and Italy. Now she discovers the cultural treasures right in her own backyard: New York."
--iParenting.com

"your fave jetsetter. . . in the fourth installment of her hilarious diaries, Melanie Martin is back with a pen in her hand and a couple of boys on her mind . . ."
--kidzworld.com

"Weston is also creating a mini-empire with her Melanie books. . ."
--Big Apple Parent

"Last but by no means least, I recommend Melanie in Manhattan by Carol Weston which is a romp through the Big Apple by one of my favorite fictional heroines. . . ."
--Gwynne Spencer, Cosmic Raccoon

"appealing. . . Fans of the early books will appreciate this one."
--School Library Journal

"Melanie in Manhattan takes readers on a journey of the heart as well as a journey of Manhattan.... Melanie's fun-to-read-journal will give readers an inside view of New York."
--Boston Herald

"If you can't attend an art camp, read Melanie In Manhattan, Carol Weston's latest book (Knopf, 2005). Kids can follow 11-year-old Melanie's experiences as she discovers New York City's cultural life."
--Tulsa Kids

"This time, Melanie--the precocious protagonist of Melanie in Manhattan--notices that three cats are hungrily eyeing the bird, which may soon be dead meat." [from "The Girl Who Got Goya"]
--ARTnews

"Carol Weston has the mind of a child. That may sound like fighting words. . . but it is actually high praise. I just had the delight of reading "Melanie in Manhattan" . . . What is most remarkable about the book is that it sounds and looks absolutely accurate. Read a passage, close your eyes and you hear your own child saying exactly what you just read."
--West Austin News

"Carol Weston's latest book, Melanie in Manhattan, is a charming, fact-filled journey into the life of her much-loved character, Melanie Martin. It is also a delightful look at New York City through the eyes of this bright and believable 11-year-old. . . . Melanie and her family take the reader on many wonderful trips around the city -- to well-known landmarks such as the Empire State Building and the Museum of Natural History. We also get to see a good number of lesser-known gems, including the Barge Music Concerts held on the East River, Striver's Row in Harlem and the Donnell Public Library, home to the original Winnie-the-Pooh. The author turns learning facts about the city into a joy. Once Melanie and Miguel are at the top of the Empire State Building, for example, Melanie points out the "giant green rectangle of Central Parkand the pointy scalloped spire of the Chrysler Building and the graceful distant arch of the George Washington Bridge "which was built in 1931 -- same year as the Empire State Building." The author cleverly mingles sketches, poems, statistics and facts into a diary format and in the process teaches the reader about New York City--and life! Hopefully she will create another Melanie Martin adventure before too long! Recommended for ages 8-12 and adults who like reading with children."
--TravelSmart Newsletter