Newbery Roundup 2: Mexikid, The Swifts, and Shira and Esther’s Double-Dream Debut

This is second of our roundup series of possible Newbery contenders for 2024. See the first roundup here.

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martin. Dial, 2023, 320 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10

Recommended for: ages 8-15

Pedro Martin (pronounced Mar-TEEN, of course) is #7 of nine children.. The oldest five were born in Mexico, making them full Mexi, while the younger four, including Pedro, are American made and half Mexi. Pedro gets picked on by his siblings for being rather round, but “I am a richly layered cake of a human being once you get to know me.” He can also draw, and we’ll get to know him pretty well in this graphic memoir of the family’s 1977 adventure. That’s when the older Martins decided that the family patriarch was getting too old to live alone in Mexico. So Apa (Dad) buys a cheap motor home to pick up Abuelito and bring him back to the states. The kids will also get an immersion in their heritage. Pedro isn’t thrilled—he’ll miss too many Happy Days reruns. But Abuelito is a legend: a mule driver during the Mexican Revolution of the 1910s, and tough as nails. Perhaps he could even join Pedro’s ranks of Marvel superheroes.

The journey is as rambunctious as might be expected, and also terrifically fun. Pedro encounters the usual tourist fumbles, including rip-offs, diarrhea, and a peculiar toy called pee baby. So yes, some potty humor. And younger readers won’t recognize cultural references from 1970s. But the adventure is also heartening and touching at times, as a boy expands his knowledge and learns more about himself. It’s all true, too—he has the photos to prove it.

Definitely a contender for Pura Belpre, and possible Newbery honor. (See our review of Sunshine, another graphic memoir of a memorable summer.)

Overall Rating: 4

Shira and Esther’s Double-Dream Debut by Anna B. Jordan. Chronicle, 2023, 332 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-14

Shira Epstein and Esther Rosenbaum were not only born on the same day—they also bear a striking resemblance to each other. When they get around to meeting at the age of twelve, it’s almost like looking in a mirror. But in background and ambition, they might have been born on different planets. Shira, daughter of a widowed rabbi, hungers for the stage, but her dad insists she memorize scripture. Esther, illegitimate child of vaudeville performer Fanny Rosenbaum (a.k.a. Red Hot Fanny), longs to study Torah, but her mother is confident she’ll be a star. “Oy vey. Are those parents wrong.” The girls become fast friends upon meeting, but what if they become more than friends? What if they become . . . each other?

In a Comedy of Errors twist, Shira proposes they trade places, so she can get her stage tryout and Esther can get her studies. The reader must suspend a lot of disbelief to help them pull that off, but the fictional city of Idyllville and the uncertain time frame may suggest that we’re not to take the plot too seriously. It makes for a rollicking read, peppered with Yiddish phrases and Jewish cultural references. Both Rabbi Epstein and Fanny Rosenbaum are loving (if clueless) parents, and the girls are likeable. There’s a mystery of Esther’s parentage to unravel, and it helps explain their physical resemblance. Still pretty far-fetched, and the emerging theme of following your heart isn’t particularly edifying.

It’s almost certain to win something in the Sidney Taylor award field, but a Newbery isn’t likely, in spite of glowing reviews. Honey and Me is another novel about girl friendship in the Jewish community.    

Overall Rating: 3.5

The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln, illustrated by Claire Powell. Dutton, 2023, 352 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-14

We first meet Shenanigan Swift in the middle of a family funeral: that of her great-aunt Schadenfreude. The aunt isn’t dead, mind, but she expects to be eventually, and a smoothly-run funeral (“like a wedding upside down”) requires regular rehearsal. But there’s a great event at hand: the Swift Family Reunion, which takes place every ten years. Overbearing Aunt Inheritance arrives to orchestrate them event, and Uncle Maelstrom, with Shenanigan and her sisters Felicity and Phenomena are pressed into service getting ready for it. The house will be full of distant relatives Shenanigan has never met, and she hopes to pick up clues toward solving the mystery of Great-Uncle Vile’s hidden treasure. Family members converge but another mystery intrudes: Who shoved Schadenfreude down the stairs on the second night?

All the Swifts are named from the Sacred Swift Family Dictionary and tend to live up to their definitions. Shenanigan is full of (sometimes mean) tricks and mischief, but she’s a daring risk-taker and problem-solver. The reunion brings her a sidekick, a nonbinary cousin who goes by “they” pronouns, and solving the mystery leads to actual fatalities. Like Shira and Esther, it’s a debut novel with an accomplished verve and style, but not to be taken seriously. The Swifts is a romp, just for fun and helpful for vocabulary-building.

Not my cup of tea, but may win recognition if the ALA committees are feeling playful. See our review of another dictionary-themed mystery, The Winterton Deception.

Overall Rating: 3.5    

Read more about our ratings here.

Buy from amazon

Buy from amazon

Buy from amazon