A PERFECT VIEW

On a camping trip, Cici finds her stubbornness and magic at odds in this third series outing.

Ten-year-old Latina fairy Cici cannot wait to take her best friend, Kendra, camping with her little sister and her dad. She’s planned out every second of their trip, from kayaking to roasting marshmallows. However, things go wrong as soon as they pull up to the campsite, and one by one, Cici's plans are derailed. On top of everything, Cici is followed by an adorably strange bilingual forest creature with magical powers who wants to be her friend. Since this creature wasn't part of her plans, Cici sees it as a nuisance. Only when she decides to forego her strictures and roll with the punches does Cici realize that the trip had truly been a success and that she can't plan everything. As in previous volumes, Doerrfeld and Page have stayed visually consistent, with a sweeping spectrum of bright, pleasing hues and an emphasis on whimsical pinks and purples. However, this volume—like Cici herself, at times—seems to be conflicted. The narrative arc doesn’t need magic to work, and here it feels like an afterthought, there to suit Cici's fairy persona rather than integral to the story.

A misstep in the series but not so egregious as to completely alienate fans.