Shai & Emmie Star in to the Rescue!

April 15, 2018
A book about rescuing in which no rescue happens.Shai, an African-American girl, and her white "bestie-best friend," Emmie, play in the school orchestra at Sweet Auburn School for the Performing Arts. One afternoon, Shai spots a brown-and-white critter in her family's backyard garden and assumes it's a stray cat. She draws a picture of it and creates posters to figure out which neighbor has lost the cat. When Shai lures the animal with food, she sees that it's not a cat but a rabbit, but being a city kid, she doesn't understand that it's wild. After Shai and Emmie capture it in a pet carrier, Shai's veterinarian mother explains that the rabbit should live wild in the city. Shai then finds a better pet solution, even though their household already has eight pets. Besides its child-star author and the portrayal of a positive cross-racial friendship, this novel has little to recommend it. The art may give readers a point of reference for some scenes, but it adds little to the story. Furthermore, though children might appreciate Shai's made-up words and phrases ("hunormous," "sleepifying," "lickety-clean," "amazetastic"), this book's readers, who are likely new to chapter books, may find them difficult to decipher. Perhaps this series fills a reading niche, but this underwhelming third book in the series should be its last. (Fiction. 6-8)

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June 1, 2018

Gr 2-4-Shai volunteers to head up her orchestra's benefit concert for homeless animals. Meanwhile, her veterinarian mother heads out of town and a mystery creature keeps appearing in her family's garden. Suddenly, Shai finds herself with a long to-do list and important decisions to make. The text is simple enough for children beginning to read longer chapter books independently: it could serve as a great bridge between early and middle grade chapter books. The plot is divided into scenes as opposed to chapters, which could serve as a teaching point for children unfamiliar with theater and film. Readers will relate to Shai and Emmie's friendship and the musical aspects of this book, namely the need to practice in order to improve. Also worthy of note is the lesson Shai and Emmie learn about the different needs of wild animals versus pets. VERDICT Another installment that will hook young readers and keep them coming back for more.-Katie Darrin, Boulder Valley School District, Boulder, CO

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