Full disclosure that I came to this reading as a fangirl of Erin Entrada Kelly as I found her Newbery Medal winning book “Hello, Universe” to be groundbreaking and I got all the feels reading Newbery Honor winner, “We Dream of Space” so my expectations were high and I was not disappointed by “Surely Surely Marisol Rainey” the follow up to “Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey”. On the very last page, there is a note to “Be on the lookout for more adventures with Marisol!” and I can’t wait.
Young readers will relate to Marisol’s hesitancy around the unknown, for example - kickball. Marisol experiences very real emotions of anxiety, jealousy, and eventually pride in overcoming her concerns and experiencing some success worthy of a “Way to go, Marisol” from Coach Decker.
Of note, Marisol’s father works as an electrician on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and as such is present in her life in the form of a video call on a computer screen at set times each week. While this must be difficult, the family finds a way to build some consistency for both parent and children, and following the Covid pandemic where many people communicated with relatives and children learned on and off screen, I think kid readers will totally “get” this set of circumstances.
Marisol’s mother is from the Philippines and Marisol makes note of some of the Filipino food she enjoys - lumpia, pancit, and chicken adobo. As an adult reader, it makes me want to broaden my horizons to try lumpia and pancit - maybe kids will think the same!
There are several opportunities for kid readers to experience some windows and mirrors, depending on their personal experiences, whether it’s learning about the foods of the Philippines or about some of the various job opportunities on oil rigs. Overall, I think readers will like seeing what Marisol gets into next and I’m already looking forward to reading more from Erin Entrada Kelly.
Title: Surely Surely Marisol Rainey
Author: Erin Entrada Kelly
ISBN: 978-0-06-297045-9
Published 2022 by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers
This book was borrowed from the public library for review.
No comments:
Post a Comment