When her older brother goes off-island for high school, second-grader Piper Green misses him terribly but finds consolation in a Fairy Tree.
There aren’t enough young people on Peek-a-Boo Island to support any school. Piper, her little brother, Leo, and a few neighbors travel by lobster boat to a small elementary school on nearby Mink Island, but high school students, like her brother Erik, must go to the mainland and board. On opening day of the Mink Island school, the combined second- and third-grade class turns out to have a new teacher. With her long blonde hair, Ms. Arabella may look like a princess, but she’s surprisingly strict. She won’t let Piper and her best friend, Ruby, sit together, and she asks unhappy Piper to take off Erik’s old ear muffs, which she’s been wearing as solace. Piper’s response is to give up on second grade. It takes an understanding neighbor and the Fairy Tree’s surprising gift to restore her good spirits. Piper’s first-person narration is forthright and convincing. Each short chapter will include a full-page illustration and vignettes supporting the text. (Final art not seen.) Cliffhanging chapter endings lead readers on. A sequel, Too Much Good Luck, is scheduled to be published simultaneously.
With its intriguing setting, sympathetic characters, and hint of magic, this new chapter-book series should charm fledgling readers. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-49923-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: June 6, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
Categories: CHILDREN'S FAMILY
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A young girl learns that she doesn’t have to be big to make a difference.
Tola lives in Lagos, Nigeria, with her siblings—sister Moji and brother Dapo, who call her “Too Small Tola” because she is the smallest—under the care of their grandmother. Each of the three short chapters tells of Tola’s adventures while immersing readers in Lagos daily life. In Tola’s first adventure, Grandmommy chooses Tola to take shopping, causing Tola to panic as she worries she won’t be able to carry their purchases. After collecting everything from Grandmommy’s seemingly never-ending list, they make their way home, taking plenty of breaks that leave Tola’s siblings jealous. For her second adventure, she must collect water from the well near their building and then make it to school on time, but she must conquer a mean, older kid first. Tola’s final adventure occurs during a time of celebrations when Eid falls at the same time as Easter. Readers follow along as Tola takes on the challenge of measuring clients for Mr. Abdul—a tailor who lives in Tola’s building—after he breaks his leg. This collection of stories is perfect for transitioning readers, with its manageable chapters, clear, plain language, simple sentence structures, wry sense of humor, and realistic illustrations of the diverse Nigerian cast. While some elements may be unfamiliar to readers outside Tola’s culture, readers will find anchors in Tola’s relationships.
An enjoyable, endearing collection. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1127-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
Categories: CHILDREN'S FAMILY
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Shades of Bewitched, the old TV show featuring a witch married to a regular guy.
This new chapter-book series stars Pandora, a white girl with two grandmas—the good witch, Granny Crow, in a patterned minidress, whose magical powers enliven any party or school outing, and Granny Podmore, in her cardigan and plaid skirt, a kind but stereotypical grandmother who cleans and cooks. Pandora’s friends include Nellie, a black girl, and Nellie’s mom is also depicted as black in the exuberant line drawings with gray washes. The three chapterlong adventures are rather tame, meant for readers who want fun rather than fright. In “The Super-Spooky Fright Night!” (all titles have exclamation points), the two grandmothers host a Halloween party. Granny Crow creates “bat-shaped cookies that hung around the bowls, and a custard cat (that actually meowed!).” Granny Podmore makes “the neatest swans” from napkins. Granny Crow conjures up musical broomsticks when Granny Podmore wants to introduce musical chairs. The evening ends happily when Granny Podmore uses Ollie, her vacuum cleaner, to suck up little pumpkins from Granny Crow’s pumpkin pop gone wild. Only Granny Crow appears in the other stories, making teddy bears come alive to give a “teddy bears’ picnic!” and causing a nasty teacher to accidentally cast a spell that turns a school swimming lesson into utter chaos.
Italics and exclamation points may be overused, but this new humorous series is full of gently amusing magical surprises. (Fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8653-6
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Nosy Crow/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
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