Julie Bowe, children’s author and Mondovi native, is set to release her newest book, My New Best Friend. Published this past August with Harcourt Children’s Books, My New Best Friend is the sequel to My Last Best Friend, released last year. Both middle school level books focus on fourth grader Ida May, whose best friend moves away, thus prompting Bowe’s new story. While searching for Halloween costumes, Ida and Stacy find a magical mermaid nightlight that ignites a new best friendship and a secret club. My New Best Friend captures the endearing humor of Ida’s inner dialogue and splashes it onto the pages. With natural dialogue and inevitable dilemmas for Ida, it’s easy to picture this relatable story as a pre-teen TV show or film. Bowe will sign copies of her book at 6pm Thursday, Sept. 25, at the L.E Phillips Memorial Public Library.