A review by katymul
Vampirina Ballerina Hosts a Sleepover by Anne Marie Pace

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I hope the message of this book stays with its young readers for a long time. I hope it carries them at least through middle school. That's an awful lot of pressure to put on one book, even a picturebook as carefully crafted as this one, but I do wish it. Vampirina goes through a series of relatable stages in planning her sleepover -- excitement, fear of her family being judged, trying to change herself and her family, and slowly realizing that it is not necessary or desirable. In fact, her friends are won over more and more. The final turn that her family ARE taking a few things from the more pastel-pink friends their daughter has invited into their gothic wonderland is lovely as well.

The visuals by Pham add an extra layer of humor and several visual-only threads of storytelling that reinforce the message. They also show that, for some people, accepting the more Halloween-y elements of Vampirina's life is harder than for others. Watching the gentle way that her friends are brought along, no one at too fast a pace for them, is gentle and loving. This book clearly cares about all of its characters as much as its title one.