A winning series starter with layers of depth.
Amina has crafted the perfect formula for fitting in.
Having recently settled in Indianapolis with her Syrian refugee family, Amina is starting third grade late in the term. She plans to “speak English perfectly, wear a perfect outfit, be a good student, [and] eat American food.” But everything unravels when she mispronounces words and struggles to be understood—to the scorn of some of her classmates. When the students are told they must each give a presentation on a dish they’ve prepared, Amina is disheartened—how can she deliver a whole speech in English? But after talking with Egyptian American classmate Fatima, Amina finds a recipe for friendship and belonging. Safadi and Jaleel seamlessly weave Amina’s Syrian and Muslim identities into both art and text. Safadi pinpoints experiences that many English language learners will recognize: the oddity of idioms, the often-frustrating gap between Amina’s rich inner monologue and her less-than-fluent spoken dialogue, the loneliness that results from not being able to fully communicate, and the joys of forging connections as Amina becomes part of a warm, diverse group of friends. Her journey is realistically rocky but immensely rewarding, with teachable moments for readers young and old—for instance, a classmate correcting a teacher who mispronounces Amina’s name. Children will be heartened by Amina’s small triumphs, like when a new friend lovingly graces her with the nickname “Amina Banana.”
A winning series starter with layers of depth. (scientific method steps, science experiment, recipe for ful mdamas [fava beans], author’s note about the Syrian refugee crisis) (Chapter book. 7-10)Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9780593699225
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode.
A long-running series reaches its closing chapters.
Having, as Kline notes in her warm valedictory acknowledgements, taken 30 years to get through second and third grade, Harry Spooger is overdue to move on—but not just into fourth grade, it turns out, as his family is moving to another town as soon as the school year ends. The news leaves his best friend, narrator “Dougo,” devastated…particularly as Harry doesn’t seem all that fussed about it. With series fans in mind, the author takes Harry through a sort of last-day-of-school farewell tour. From his desk he pulls a burned hot dog and other items that featured in past episodes, says goodbye to Song Lee and other classmates, and even (for the first time ever) leads Doug and readers into his house and memento-strewn room for further reminiscing. Of course, Harry isn’t as blasé about the move as he pretends, and eyes aren’t exactly dry when he departs. But hardly is he out of sight before Doug is meeting Mohammad, a new neighbor from Syria who (along with further diversifying a cast that began as mostly white but has become increasingly multiethnic over the years) will also be starting fourth grade at summer’s end, and planning a written account of his “horrible” buddy’s exploits. Finished illustrations not seen.
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Nov. 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-451-47963-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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