Finally

Like each of the first three books in the Willow Falls series, this novel centers the idea of birthdays during the tween years. This is a time of transition from childhood to adolescence—a liminal space when young people are not quite one thing and not quite another. Birthdays, which mark the process of maturing, are a natural focus for books about this age group.

Rory’s 12th birthday, in particular, symbolizes the passage from one stage of her life into another. Her parents have always postponed access to new privileges, telling her that she can do things like babysit, walk to school on her own, and get her ears pierced when she is 12. So many of these milestone activities have accumulated over the years that she is able to compile a list over 20 items long.

Rory sees her birthday as a portal into a new world where she will be more attractive, more sophisticated, and more respected by other people. The book’s title conveys her feeling that her birthday will mark an instant arrival into this new world, “Finally.” Rory’s cleaning her room and putting away her childhood mementos on the night before her birthday is a symbolic gesture that she intends to mark her arrival.