Sticker Girl

Gr 3–5—After a year in her new town, Martina is still trying to make friends. She is extremely shy, which prevents her from speaking in class or making overtures to her classmates. Although Martina has a loving family, with an older teen brother and a rambunctious two-year-old brother, she is often overlooked. She relies on her hobby of sticker collecting and imaginary play and calls herself "Sticker Girl." But playing with stickers takes on a whole new meaning when Martina peels a sticker from a sheet given to her by her father. With a cascade of confetti and a bang, the rainbow sticker becomes a real glittering rainbow in the middle of her room. Martina is dazzled by the possibilities. She finds that the cupcake sticker speaks and is named Craig. Craig the cupcake soon becomes her constant companion. At school, Craig intervenes and replies for Martina when she is tongue-tied, so she ends up working on a team with two popular, fair-haired kids. Martina develops a friendship with her teammates and is at times helped hilariously by mischievous and misbehaving sticker pals, especially when she tries to use their magical abilities to help solve her real-world problems. Martina is an appealing character and expresses her thoughts and fears in an intelligent and approachable manner. Her Latina heritage is well portrayed, and some common Spanish words are used in the text. Font changes and charming sticker drawings will appeal to readers. This is a fun tale about a shy, introverted child who finally manages to leave her fantasy realm for the real world, though perhaps not completely. The discovery of another set of possibly magic stickers at the end sets the stage for a sequel.