Emily and Maddie, or Mad-Ily as they call themselves, have been best friends forever. Emily (white, red hair and glasses) likes to make things with tools, while Maddie (black, with natural, curly hair) is an artist and can sew. They have friendship bracelets they made for each other and spend all their time together. But then Isabella Diaz shows up. Bella is great with math, coding, and crafts too! Bella is put next to Maddie and suddenly the two are spending all their time together - and Emily feels left out. Maddie even teaches Bella how to make their special friendship bracelets! When Emily loses her bracelet, she feels like it's a sign that their friendship is over forever. And then there's Sam Sharma, who sits next to Emily. Maybe she wants to be friends with him too?
SPOILERS
Once Emily speaks up and explains how she feels to Maddie, all is well. The four become friends, bonding over cleaning out a shed in Bella's yard that becomes their crafting clubhouse. The diversity, as it often does in these early chapter books, feels carefully planned and I was disappointed to find that the first book in the series features the white girl, but overall it's a good attempt to create something to appeal to young makers.
Verdict: This isn't particularly realistic, from the access to craft supplies and skills to the level of independence the kids have, not to mention their maturity in dealing with friendship issues. However, it's a nice modeling of behavior to follow and will appeal to kids who like to make things.
ISBN: 9781534409071; Published March 2018 by Little Simon; Borrowed from another library in my consortium
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