Delightful, with just the right touch of magic.
It is Addie’s turn with the magic bracelet in this installment of the Best Wishes series.
Ten-year-old Addie Asante, a fifth grader in Columbus, Ohio, tells her tale in a letter to an unknown Lucy. Sandwiched in the middle between bossy, studious older sister Sophie, 12, and indulged little sister Camille, 5, “go-with-the-flow” Addie is used to suppressing her own desires to keep the peace with friends and family. When a mysterious package arrives with the bracelet and instructions, she puts it on at once, ignoring an enclosed warning from Becca, the previous holder of the bracelet, until it is too late. When, in an argument with Sophie, Addie wishes she weren’t the middle sister, the bracelet tightens, then glows and warms, and suddenly, the sisters have switched bodies—Addie is Sophie, Sophie is Camille, and Camille is Addie. Mayhem, confusion, twists and turns, and even laugh-out-loud hilarity ensue as each sister tries to cope with the changes. Addie can text with Becca for more information and warnings (including about the strange blond woman who wants the bracelet) but must find the solution herself. Of course, there’s a happy, heartwarming ending as Addie and her sisters share their feelings and come to understand each other. Now it’s Lucy’s turn. Addie and her family present Black in Vee’s drawings; Becca is Jewish and light-skinned.
Delightful, with just the right touch of magic. (Fantasy. 8-11)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-338-62828-9
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
BOOK TO SCREEN
Certain to elicit both gales of giggles and winces of sympathy (not to mention recognition) from young readers.
First volume of a planned three, this edited version of an ongoing online serial records a middle-school everykid’s triumphs and (more often) tribulations through the course of a school year.
Largely through his own fault, mishaps seem to plague Greg at every turn, from the minor freak-outs of finding himself permanently seated in class between two pierced stoners and then being saddled with his mom for a substitute teacher, to being forced to wrestle in gym with a weird classmate who has invited him to view his “secret freckle.” Presented in a mix of legible “hand-lettered” text and lots of simple cartoon illustrations with the punch lines often in dialogue balloons, Greg’s escapades, unwavering self-interest and sardonic commentary are a hoot and a half.
Certain to elicit both gales of giggles and winces of sympathy (not to mention recognition) from young readers. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 0-8109-9313-9
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2007
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
Move over Ramona Quimby, Portland has another neighbor you have to meet!
Ryan Hart is navigating the fourth grade and all its challenges with determination.
Her mom named her Ryan because it means “king,” and she wanted Ryan to feel powerful every time she heard her name; Ryan knows it means she is a leader. So when changes occur or disaster strikes, budding chef Ryan does her best to find the positive and “make sunshine.” When her dad is laid off from the post office, the family must make adjustments that include moving into a smaller house, selling their car, and changing how they shop for groceries. But Ryan gets to stay at Vernon Elementary, and her mom still finds a way to get her the ingredients she needs to practice new recipes. Her older brother, Ray, can be bossy, but he finds little ways to support her, especially when she is down—as does the whole family. Each episodic chapter confronts Ryan with a situation; intermittently funny, frustrating, and touching, they should be familiar and accessible to readers, as when Ryan fumbles her Easter speech despite careful practice. Ryan, her family, and friends are Black, and Watson continues to bring visibility to both Portland, Oregon, generally and its Black community specifically, making another wonderful contribution that allows Black readers to see themselves and all readers to find a character they can love.
Move over Ramona Quimby, Portland has another neighbor you have to meet! (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: April 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0056-4
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
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