Veronica Chambers

Ten-year-old Flora struggles after her best friend moves away.

Flora LeFevre would rate her best friend, Clara Londra, full marks on the BFF-ometer the girls programmed in Scratch. Clara makes Saturday Spanish school bearable, and she’s down for any adventure. They both have parents from far away—Flora’s are from Panama, and Clara’s are from Argentina. So, when Clara’s mother announces that they are leaving Rhode Island to move to California, Flora feels lost even though the girls resolve to remain best friends no matter what. Maylin, Flora’s older sister, is too obsessed with planning her quinceañera to pay attention to her. Worse, Clara quickly finds a new friend in California. Flora thinks no one can hold a candle to Clara until a new student arrives in class: Hailing from Paris, Lebanese Zaidee Khal seems too sophisticated for fifth grade. As Flora slowly warms up to Zaidee, they begin to form a new friendship. But can Flora have two besties? Chambers places universal friendship trials within the specific joy and beauty of an Afro-Panamanian family, capturing the deep, intense emotions of childhood bonds. Rim’s delightful illustrations punctuate the text and capture the mood of the characters’ journeys. The dialogue is peppered with Spanish in the natural cadence of bilingual families, with each member possessing varying degrees of proficiency. Non-Spanish–speaking readers won’t miss a beat and may even pick up a phrase or two.

Funny, heartwarming, and sweet. (Fiction. 8-12)

-Kirkus Review… (mehr)

An explanatory lesson about the historical protests of June 2020 and what led up to them.

Basing their account heavily on firsthand accounts of various Black Lives Matter leaders and New York Times reporters, the authors explore the origins of the movement and the impact it has had along with the historical events that its leaders built it upon. Beginning with how BLM founders Opal Tometi, Patrisse Cullors, and Alicia Garza came separately to activism and then together in 2013 via a Black leadership network, they tell the stories of victims such as Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and George Floyd in the context of the roles they played in the movement’s development. The second half delves deeper into history with discussions of systemic racism and comparisons to the civil rights and Black Power movements, allowing readers to clearly identify parallels to the impact on Black Americans today. The roles played by athletes, musicians, and artists may inspire readers to find their unique paths to activism. The authors write with clarity and honesty, holding back no truths, but with language that makes the book accessible to preteen readers and adults alike. A logical progression of chapters punctuated by informational breakouts and concise paragraphs accompanied by photographs on each page make for a clean layout and easy reading.

An educational introduction for young readers and a comprehensive primer for adults. (authors' note, further reading, photo credits, bibliography, index)

-Kirkus Review… (mehr)