Although the plot loses focus, it is empowering to see schoolgirls master STEAM.
In this series opener, Pearl, Millie, and Halinka have taken on the charge to come up with an invention that will save Miss Bunsen’s School for Brilliant Girls.
Housed in a rotting building and led by quirky Miss Bunsen, the school is on the brink of financial collapse. The school’s only hope is to win an interschool competition for the best invention, which comes with a large cash prize. The invention must be one that’s perfect for the “youth of today.” The girls design the Best of Yourself Hat, which, when worn, will “help you be the best version of yourself.” When their rivals from the glitzy Atom Academy steal the hat-invention idea, Pearl, Millie, and Halinka must prove whose idea it truly was to save their chances of winning. What’s oddly missing in the plot is that the girls on both sides never seem to consider that maybe another school might win, which dampens suspense somewhat and turns the story from one of invention to one of espionage. Diversity is conveyed primarily through visuals; the jacket image depicts Pearl, the leader of the team, with brown skin and curly hair, and Halinka and Millie present white, although in interior illustrations, Halinka appears to be a girl of color as well.
Although the plot loses focus, it is empowering to see schoolgirls master STEAM. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8075-5157-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
An exuberant portrayal of a girl with hearing restrictions reaching for the stars.
Astrid, a spunky, smart California third grader, has great aspirations.
She will become “the first astronaut with hearing aids,” a possibility that is treated very naturally within this story, the first in a new chapter book series. Joining the Shooting Stars, an after-school club devoted to all things space, has long been part of Astrid’s “Astronomically Grand Plan.” Though Astrid wants to go to space camp, it’s expensive, but a scholarship is available for the Shooting Stars student who earns the most points for completing the STEM-oriented Astro Missions. She discovers another problem when she realizes that her best friend, Hallie, is more interested in art than in STEM and joins the Petite Picassos club. How can Astrid navigate Shooting Stars without her BFF, especially when she and her teammate Veejay don’t start out well? Club teacher Ms. Ruiz stresses creativity and partnership, and math and science enthusiasts will be attracted to this book, but the real emphasis is on relationships. Astrid must befriend Hallie again after voicing her disappointment with her interests and learn to be a good teammate. Astrid is likable, and her story, told in first person, realistically explores her hearing issues, her initial problem-solving failures, and her successes. Black-and-white illustrations depict Astrid (wearing her hearing aids) and her family as light-skinned, though other students appear to be racially diverse, and Hallie is cued as Asian.
An exuberant portrayal of a girl with hearing restrictions reaching for the stars. (Chapter book. 7-10)Pub Date: July 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-8148-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
An absorbing read that balances lessons about friendship and science.
When a hurricane threatens to ruin Diwali, teamwork—and a little bit of magic—is all a young Indian girl needs to save the day.
It’s Diwali, and Sejal, 8, can’t wait to draw rangoli, light sparklers, and devour a traditional Indian feast with her family, including her younger brother, Abu, her older cousin Mira, and her dog, Fluff Monster. But then a hurricane threatens to put a damper on the festivities. Determined to save the day, Sejal gathers up Professor Cheetah, her “best stuffie friend,” and hops into her cardboard box, which, with a little bit of magic, transforms into a “hurricane-hunting aircraft.” She’s soon joined by a frantic Abu, an enthusiastic Fluff Monster, and a reluctant Mira, who no longer believes in cardboard-box magic. It isn’t until the team meets a group of scientists in the center of the storm that Mira admits that magic is just as real as science—and that some jobs require a degree of imagination that only children possess. Prasad layers the narrative with internal and external conflicts, investing just as much importance in Sejal’s determination to salvage her relationship with her cousin as she does in the children’s mission to save Diwali. At its best, Sejal’s narratorial voice crackles with intelligence and perseverance; at times, however, the language is a bit clunky. Overall, though, the book is a well-plotted, entertaining story about science, tradition, creative thinking, and growing up.
An absorbing read that balances lessons about friendship and science. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781665911788
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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