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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
Super cute, fun novel that made me feel like a kid again. I wish I had the chance to read it as a young girl. Excited to share it with my kids when they’re old enough.
I absolutely love Cilla, she's hilarious, smart, great with words, and very attuned to the world. This book explores complicated things for a young girl- the fear of being forgotten by the arrival of a new baby, racial microaggressions, the complicated relationships of a multi-racial family, all while trying to find her own identity as a multi-racial child, new big sister, and future author extraordinaire! This book is a treasure.
So cute! Cilla's central story is that her mom is pregnant, and Cilla's not quite ready for the new baby (who she refers to as The Blob, which I love). She also talks about her "Struggles" like having to take special reading classes, dealing with an annoying classmate, and adults asking her where she's from (she's half white and half Chinese). I loved the way she handled her kid-sized struggles with all the drama of being 8. The book might be a bit high-level and long for many 8-year-old readers, though some could handle it. I think it'd be best for 3rd-5th grade. She's a great character!
Completely adorable, without shying away from the tougher moments of growing up. My heart is full.
Read Harder Challenge #22: A children’s or middle grade book (not YA) that has won a diversity award since 2009
It's hard to assess children's books, because I'm not a child, nor a parent, nor even a children's librarian. At some point I started relating to the parents in children's books - especially, in this case, because Cilla is the half-Chinese daughter of a white mom and Chinese dad, and I am hoping to be the white mom of a half-Chinese kid at some point in the near-ish future.
Cilla is a delightful character, and I loved the descriptions of her family, especially her four grandparents. It reminded me a lot of [b:Anastasia Krupnik|116494|Anastasia Krupnik (Anastasia Krupnik, #1)|Lois Lowry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476942137s/116494.jpg|827585], except that Anastasia got to work out her feelings about her new baby sibling without also having to grapple with rude grownups questioning her racial identity and ignorant kids calling her food gross.
So I can't say for sure whether a child would enjoy this book, but I enjoyed it. Also, the illustrations are adorable.
It's hard to assess children's books, because I'm not a child, nor a parent, nor even a children's librarian. At some point I started relating to the parents in children's books - especially, in this case, because Cilla is the half-Chinese daughter of a white mom and Chinese dad, and I am hoping to be the white mom of a half-Chinese kid at some point in the near-ish future.
Cilla is a delightful character, and I loved the descriptions of her family, especially her four grandparents. It reminded me a lot of [b:Anastasia Krupnik|116494|Anastasia Krupnik (Anastasia Krupnik, #1)|Lois Lowry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476942137s/116494.jpg|827585], except that Anastasia got to work out her feelings about her new baby sibling without also having to grapple with rude grownups questioning her racial identity and ignorant kids calling her food gross.
So I can't say for sure whether a child would enjoy this book, but I enjoyed it. Also, the illustrations are adorable.