#readthisnow.
In this sophomore chapter-book offering (Lights, Camera, Middle School!, 2017), Babymouse learns that owning a smartphone may be more trouble than she anticipated.
Everyone in middle school has a phone…except Babymouse. She jealously watches her classmates download the newest apps, snap the best pics, and gain tons of followers on their social media accounts. When she finally gets her own, she quickly discovers it is more work than fun. Her new phone lands her squarely in the rat race (or, perhaps, mouse race) of pressure to own the newest model, endless social media demands, and weighing the importance of real-life friends over vacuous online followers. Babymouse’s best frenemy, Felicia Furrypaws, has, of course, the latest phone, perfect pics, and thousands of social media followers; will Babymouse be able to emulate her flawlessly curated online presence? In an age when cellphone users skew ever younger, it is refreshing to see a beloved character grapple with the dichotomy between real life and a manufactured online existence. With a mix of accessible prose and charming sequential panels, Babymouse has aged up with her audience, offering fun storylines that are relevant to an upper-elementary audience. Engaging and contemporary, the Holms’ second volume is able to touch upon such important issues as online stranger danger and smartphone burnout without resorting to preachiness.
#readthisnow. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 7-10)Pub Date: July 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-399-55441-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2018
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
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