Gr 2-4–Millie Magnus is a self-assured third grader with her own unique style and pet chick, Extra Spicy. When she and her friends are faced with a school bully named Buckley, Millie is able to turn to her nanny and her widowed mother for help. When Millie seeks her mother’s advice, racism is touched upon in reference to voters (her mom is the mayor of Washington, D.C.). Millie, her mother, and nanny are Black. Buckley is specifically bullying Millie and friends about Family Field Day. Readers will commiserate with Millie as she struggles, first when her mother can’t attend field day, and then when Nanny Josephine is injured, leaving Millie without a partner in the three-legged race against Buckley. Glenn’s excellent grayscale artwork creates white space on pages in early reader style and brings Millie’s story to life.
VERDICT A cute social-emotional read for kiddos. Pair with Doreen Cronin’s “Chicken Squad” series for more lively fun.
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