Zoe Tokushige

Kind of a slow burn to start, but this book has all kinds of great things in it -- a kid dealing with the double whammy of one parent struggling with depression and a second who often travels for their military service. Anxiety about her brilliant younger brother and so much love for her adorable baby sister. Airi struggles to read, and would always rather prank than engage, but this year turns out to be different -- her teacher challenges her to a prank championship, and friendships that grow despite Airi always being 100% herself.

I loved that Airi is so very committed to being herself. She's convinced that she's a troublemaker and wants the school to give up on her and let her inhabit that role, but this school is full of people who see past that. Loved that her teacher is married to a woman, that Airi is so amazingly good with little kids, that the struggles her family faces are so very relatable, and that the pranks are pretty cool when they start picking up. This isn't one of those lecture-at-you feel-good books -- it's more spirited, unexpected and funny than that, and yet respect for the Native peoples and culture of Hawai'i is woven throughout. Respect for both the military and for lgbtq2ia+ community is just present and woven throughout. Respect for learning differences, and ways to navigate microaggressions is woven throughout. This is the book that I would give to kids who are nervous about navigating social situations, because they aren't easy in the book, but they all turn out ok in surprising ways. And it's heavily illustrated, which is delightful.… (mehr)