A coming-of-age tale that’s as engaging as it is inspiring.
An unassertive young girl adjusts to life in a new town and away from her beloved sibling in Mireles’ middle-grade novel.
Leaving home is the last thing 11-year-old Florencia “Fay” Beaufort wants. Her Aunt Carol moves them both to a “ghostly beach town” of Los Pinos, while her older sister, Aurelia, attends college hours away in Washington state. Even before the move, the once-close siblings had been drifting apart, which Fay struggles to understand. What the tween lacks in confidence, she makes up for in warmheartedness, which earns her friends around the neighborhood and at her middle school. Things start looking up when she joins the school’s art club, as drawing is one of her passions. However, budgetary concerns result in the club’s removal, and the students’ only alternative is an art class that charges fees. Fay and a couple of her friends plan a rally in protest and turn to the community for support. As a result, the typically reserved Fay will have to work hard to overcome her anxiety. Mireles, who’s nearly the same age as her tween hero, excels at character development. Fay will easily garner readers’ sympathy, as she’s constantly nervous about such things as socialization and speechmaking and disheartened when Aurelia doesn’t have time for her. A sublime cast surrounds her, including outgoing pal Athena, whose confidence Fay admires, and likably goofy neighbor Donovan. The author’s simple, crisp prose deftly illustrates narrator Fay’s perspective; for example, it’s difficult not to feel disappointed when Aunt Carol isn’t on hand to give Fay advice, or when Aurelia abruptly ends a phone call. The young artist, when happy or hopeful, often appealingly imagines floating butterflies—her favorite subject to sketch or sculpt. Fay’s personal journey, throughout much of one school year, culminates in an unexpected and unforgettable ending.
A coming-of-age tale that’s as engaging as it is inspiring.Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2022
ISBN: 9798985230345
Page Count: 188
Publisher: Create Sparkle
Review Posted Online: Oct. 23, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A reassuring riff on embracing imperfections.
A young rabbit frets about her upcoming violin performance in Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey’s literary debut.
Mei Mei’s dream—“to share her music with the world”—is about to come true. She’s having her very first recital, complete with an orchestra, at the H’Opera House. But the day before the concert, Mei Mei is racked with anxiety. What if she plays a bum note in front of everyone? Sure enough, the worst happens mid-performance: She hits a clinker. But by remembering her mom’s reassuring sentiments from the night before (“Feel the wind…find the notes to make it right”), Mei Mei summons the strength to soldier on, and “wrong notes become right. Dissonance becomes beautiful.” At times, it all feels more like a resilience parable than a story, and the writing can be precious (“The flutter of butterflies wakes Mei Mei from her slumber”). Still, the message is solid, bolstered by O’Hara’s pencil and watercolor illustrations, which are plush-toy soft—fitting, as even prior to this book’s publication, a stuffed Mei Mei has been for sale at Grammy winner Laufey’s website. The tale features an all-animal, all-adorable cast, and endearingly, the art betrays no hint of modern times. A standout image presents Mei Mei onstage, temporarily incapacitated by her mistake and imagining her fellow musicians and their instruments with the color-blasted menace of an expressionist painting.
A reassuring riff on embracing imperfections. (author’s note, glossary) (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 21, 2026
ISBN: 9798217051748
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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