Salima Alikhan

10 YO 4th Grader Soraya wanders away from her group at an aquarium field trip and helps a mermaid escape.

I don't know if it's a strength or a weakness that race/culture isn't discussed in this book at all -- a strength, perhaps, because kids named Soraya might be from many races or cultures and I love that it is totally unremarkable that Estelle is a brown mermaid -- those things are awesome. Maybe the lack of commentary and lack of attention to the heritages of the 3 women who are author and illustrators is the point.

In any case, I wanted to like the book more than I did -- Soraya's weirdness and her outsider feelings are a major plot point, but they aren't really resolved. Although it does seem like her classmates aren't hostile or bullying, just consistently surprised -- so it would be interesting to see how things develop. The adventure of getting Estelle out of the aquarium is highly repetitive (which is developmentally appropriate for beginning chapter books, but not very exciting). The comic in the back of the book is appealing. A solid choice for 3rd-4th graders.… (more)

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Emmi in the City is a great book about a girl who is struggling to find her place in Chicago, a city full of immigrants and people doing the same. However, when the city is devastated by one of the biggest fires its ever seen, she sees how birthplace doesn’t matter when everyone reaches across the divides they’ve created with one another and helps each other out.

This book is great because it not only teaches a big moment in history for the city of Chicago, but it also contains a lot of other topics to teach kids about, such as immigration during this time and social/emotional stuff about how to help out others and show kindness.

It has wonderful illustrations that capture the emotion and mood of the story, and Emmi is such a relatable, resourceful main character. The writing style is simple and flows nicely while also evoking beautiful imagery and strong emotions. It would be great for younger kids and an especially great addition to any classroom.

Also posted on Purple People Readers.… (more)