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V. Malar: Greatest Host of All Time
November 5, 2024 by Candlewick Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Malar and her family live in the town of Pori in India, and have a farm. The holiday of Pongal is approaching, and Malar is excited that her aunt and uncle, as well as her cousins, will be visiting from Seattle for the occasion. She's worried about how well she will get along with her cousins, but wants to be the best host to them. Her fears are well founded; Priya is a bit snotty, and complains about how small everything is. Kamal, who is younger than the girls, is fully of energy. The two would rather nap and play video games than go around the farm. They also are rather inflexible; Priya insists on calling the traditional dye used to create designs on the hands as "henna" even though Malar tells her that it is called "maruthaani". Still, Malar tries very hard to make her cousins happy and to help her mother and father prepare for the celebration. On the first day of Pongal, Bhogi, the family puts away all of the old, broken things and dances around the fire. Priya and Kamal aren't too interested in making patties out of dung, and Priya ends up spilling the dung water all over herself. On the second day, Thai Pongal, Malar is excited to get a new dress, and to draw a kolam outside the house. When Kamal messes it up, it's hard to forgive him. The third day is Maattu Pongal, and the cattle are honored, so the children help wash them and paint designs on them. By the time the final festival approaches, Malar has a new understanding of how her cousins might be missing home, and may have been tired from the flight, and misses them when they are gone. The book includes a helpful glossary of Tamil words as well as an author's note about the holiday.
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Malar and her family live in the town of Pori in India, and have a farm. The holiday of Pongal is approaching, and Malar is excited that her aunt and uncle, as well as her cousins, will be visiting from Seattle for the occasion. She's worried about how well she will get along with her cousins, but wants to be the best host to them. Her fears are well founded; Priya is a bit snotty, and complains about how small everything is. Kamal, who is younger than the girls, is fully of energy. The two would rather nap and play video games than go around the farm. They also are rather inflexible; Priya insists on calling the traditional dye used to create designs on the hands as "henna" even though Malar tells her that it is called "maruthaani". Still, Malar tries very hard to make her cousins happy and to help her mother and father prepare for the celebration. On the first day of Pongal, Bhogi, the family puts away all of the old, broken things and dances around the fire. Priya and Kamal aren't too interested in making patties out of dung, and Priya ends up spilling the dung water all over herself. On the second day, Thai Pongal, Malar is excited to get a new dress, and to draw a kolam outside the house. When Kamal messes it up, it's hard to forgive him. The third day is Maattu Pongal, and the cattle are honored, so the children help wash them and paint designs on them. By the time the final festival approaches, Malar has a new understanding of how her cousins might be missing home, and may have been tired from the flight, and misses them when they are gone. The book includes a helpful glossary of Tamil words as well as an author's note about the holiday.
Strengths: This was an interesting look at life in another country, and discusses a festival with lots of detail. Malar's desire to be welcoming is tested by her difficult US cousins, and it was nice to see in the end that they came to understand each other. The illustrations help with concepts like the kolam, which young readers who haven't spent much time with Indian culture might find hard to visualize. This is a nice length, and I'm hoping to see more books featuring Malar and her family.
Weaknesses: I would love to see more of these early reader books with boys as the main characters, or at least characters that are siblings of both genders. I know it shouldn't matter, but I think that boys would love these kinds of series, and a disproportionate number feature girls.
What I really think: This is a great choice for readers who are looking for culturally connected beginning chapter books series, like Lee's Mindy Kim (and the Mid-Autumn Festival), Fang's Ava Lin, or Brown's Lola Levine.
Weaknesses: I would love to see more of these early reader books with boys as the main characters, or at least characters that are siblings of both genders. I know it shouldn't matter, but I think that boys would love these kinds of series, and a disproportionate number feature girls.
What I really think: This is a great choice for readers who are looking for culturally connected beginning chapter books series, like Lee's Mindy Kim (and the Mid-Autumn Festival), Fang's Ava Lin, or Brown's Lola Levine.
November 12, 2024 by Square Fish
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Stella is dealing with some changes in her life as she starts fifth grade; older neighbor Linda is moving to an apartment, her brother Nick is looking at colleges, and her friend Stanley seems to be friendly with former bully Jessica Anderson. She's still very interested in art club as well as her Sea Musketeers group. She even has a third grader who is very star struck by Stella; Gabby Torres wants desperately to join the Sea Musketeers group! When the art teacher tells Stella about the Chicago Art and Science Magnet school, she is very excited to apply, even if it means leaving behind her best friend Jenny. There are other challenges as the year goes on, like working on a time capsule for the school's fiftieth anniversary with Jessica, getting her video resume filmed for her application, and keeping up with her schoolwork, but Stella manages it all. Will she get into the school of her dreams?
Strengths: This is an excellent series for elementary students, and I've had a few of my emerging readers enjoy the first book, Stella Díaz Has Something to Say.
Weaknesses: We didn't see a lot of Jenny in this book, which was too bad. Also, are there places where fifth graders have graduations, complete with mini caps and gowns? Not something my district does, so students here might be disappointed!
What I really think: The upcoming graphic novel about Stella's exuberant third grade fan, Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers, will be a good introduction to Stella for younger readers, and readers who enjoyed Watson's Ryan Hart series or Darraj's Farah Rocks Fifth Grade (Farah Rocks, #1) will be glad to watch Stella grow up with them.
Weaknesses: We didn't see a lot of Jenny in this book, which was too bad. Also, are there places where fifth graders have graduations, complete with mini caps and gowns? Not something my district does, so students here might be disappointed!
What I really think: The upcoming graphic novel about Stella's exuberant third grade fan, Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers, will be a good introduction to Stella for younger readers, and readers who enjoyed Watson's Ryan Hart series or Darraj's Farah Rocks Fifth Grade (Farah Rocks, #1) will be glad to watch Stella grow up with them.
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