Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Makeda's classmates usually bring in cupcakes on their birthdays, but Makeda wants to share her family's coconut drops at school for her birthday instead. Once she makes them though, Makeda worries that others won't enjoy her special treat as much as the anticipated cupcakes.

This is a very sweet (no pun intended) story about fitting in versus being yourself. Makeda learns that she can indeed share her family traditions and culture with her classmates, despite initial skepticism. Food can show more really be a great unifier, as all the students (and teacher!) start talking about their own special treats.

As you can probably tell, this is a great book for talking about diversity and different cultures. I loved seeing a book where the majority of the characters were Black or other people of color.

Makeda's use of words like "marvelous" made me think that fans of early readers like the Fancy Nancy series will also enjoy this title. I hope to see additional "Makeda Makes" books coming in the future! show less

This was an entertaining story.

It’s deliberately heavy on cultural (black, mostly Jamaican American and African American/Nigerian American) references, and that did make it of particular interest.

All four girls in this book are 11 years old and I think I would have really enjoyed the book when I was in the 9-11 age range.

This is a good story about a blended family. It’s not just the change that comes with a blended family but in this case one of the girls, the one from whose point of show more view/perspective the story is told (though in third person) but the change is from her living with her mother to moving into a two family house in a different neighborhood (the Bronx to Harlem in Manhattan) that has four adults and four children and having to share a room with one of the other girls and going from traditional school to home free schooling. Also, having lots of companion animals as part of the household which is another new thing for her. The changed relationship with her mother and their ways of communication is poignantly related. The jealousy and confusion and also the pride and fun and love she feels are written in a way that feels authentic. The characters’ personalities are distinct and the relationships ring true. I thought the ending felt a bit rushed but perhaps that was just because I wanted more about this family and their neighbors.

I had to look up Mikey Likes It ice cream and its Brady Bunch flavor. I love how so much about NYC is shown in this book. It’s a bit of a love letter to New York.

This book made me really hungry. There is a lot of baking & cooking going on. It’s not a vegan friendly story but I’m good at veganizing everything in my head. I appreciated how the story/narration continues as part of the cake recipe included at the very end of the book. It made reading the recipe more fun than if it had been presented only as a recipe.

There is a not detailed enough for me but still fun map near the start of the book and excellent small illustrations at the start of each chapter.

There is a lovely Author’s Note at the end that gives some biographical information about the author, including books she loved as a child and how this story came to fruition. I partly identified with what she had to say and it made me love this book even more than when I was reading the story proper.

I read a Kindle edition. The map would have been more effortless to view with a paper book. I also had access to the audio edition from chapter 10 on.

Recommended for 9-11 year old girls & other readers too, those interested in music, and also cooking, those who love companion animals, those interested in NYC, kids who have nontraditional families and/or schooling or want to learn more about them. This is a great book for independent readers in middle grade and would also make for a great classroom or family read aloud.

3-1/2 stars show less

This book is all about livening 'old' things up and adding new life in a way which inspires.

Daisy's entire family holds two things dearly: never wait to be asked to do something and reused, retried and remixed is awesome. Daisy is more than ready to help out where she can and loves adding new, original touches to anything she can. Even broccoli. Unfortunately, her good intentions always seem to land her in trouble, especially since the family insists that they wish she would ask before show more acting first. Despite Daisy's not-so-great track record, she especially wants to help out when she learns that her cousin is having trouble finding the perfect wedding dress. But Daisy's latest attempt at making things better work out this time?

While I thought that this book would be about sewing, it is about so much more. Daisy loves to be creative on any and all fronts. Be it improving food or helping younger family members with building blocks, Daisy hits all sorts of directions with her creativity. Her enthusiasm and determination are heart-warming and inspiring. Even when things go wrong, the disappointment melds with humor, which is sure to make readers smile. The family is golden, too, as they always support each other, and when unhappy with some of Daisy's endeavors, make their feelings clear without falling into negativity. This creates a wholesome atmosphere, which makes it clear what Daisy's mistake is without coming across as preachy.

The illustrations are as full of energy as Daisy. It's entertaining to see what she's up to next, and the moments are brought across clearly. The text flows well and works nicely as a read-aloud. Beginning readers, who are sure of their words, can pick this one up on their own, too.

It's a fun read with family, inspiration, and heart. show less

I love that the four steps of nonviolent resistance are mentioned in the book and expanded upon in the back matter. Investigation into what exactly happened, Negotiation with your enemies to make sure they understand that there's a problem and to try to work towards a solution, Education of your team about what's been done so far and what steps may still need to be taken, and finally, if all else fails, Demonstration that is organized, calm, dignified, disciplined, non-violent.

Luper is a show more hero we all need to emulate. As she said, 'people are people.' That means that issues that affect you also affect me; issues that affect people of color and/or women and/or LGBT also affect those who are white and/or male and/or straight.

(After all, Katz was losing money by not welcoming all potential diners, eh.) show less