A sweet story rooted in relevant social issues.
Sometimes it takes a child detective to see what the adults don’t and save the day.
This August will be Fina Mendoza’s 11th birthday, and she’ll get to celebrate it back home: She, her widowed congressman dad, and her teenage sister, Gabby, are returning to California to spend the summer with their close-knit Latine-presenting family. Having lived in Washington, D.C., for almost a year, Fina doesn’t feel as comfortable back in Los Angeles as she’d expected. Her best friend is busy, her old neighborhood looks different, and her dad is still on the job even though Congress is on recess. When a mystery presents itself, Fina practices the detective techniques she perfected back in D.C. with the help of Senator Something, her best dog friend, whom she walks after school for Congresswoman Mitchell. Her investigations, which center on a man the angry, resentful neighbors call “the Bear” who lives in a “beat-up old camper van,” help Fina find a new role in her old community. Fina’s willingness to ask questions and reflect on real-world situations adds weight to an otherwise light mystery. This fourth entry in a series that references civics and the inner workings of Congress touches on themes of gentrification, unhoused people, public policy, and the plight of veterans in ways that are accessible to middle-grade readers.
A sweet story rooted in relevant social issues. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: June 30, 2026
ISBN: 9798999286413
Page Count: 218
Publisher: Chesapeake Press
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Wonderful, indeed
A love song to baby with delightful illustrations to boot.
Sweet but not saccharine and singsong but not forced, Martin’s text is one that will invite rereadings as it affirms parental wishes for children while admirably keeping child readers at its heart. The lines that read “This is the first time / There’s ever been you, / So I wonder what wonderful things / You will do” capture the essence of the picture book and are accompanied by a diverse group of babies and toddlers clad in downright adorable outfits. Other spreads include older kids, too, and pictures expand on the open text to visually interpret the myriad possibilities and hopes for the depicted children. For example, a spread reading “Will you learn how to fly / To find the best view?” shows a bespectacled, school-aged girl on a swing soaring through an empty white background. This is just one spread in which Martin’s fearless embrace of the white of the page serves her well. Throughout the book, she maintains a keen balance of layout choices, and surprising details—zebras on the wallpaper behind a father cradling his child, a rock-’n’-roll band of mice paralleling the children’s own band called “The Missing Teeth”—add visual interest and gentle humor. An ideal title for the baby-shower gift bag and for any nursery bookshelf or lap-sit storytime.
Wonderful, indeed . (Picture book. 1-4)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-37671-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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