Cleo Edison Oliver in Persuasion Power

December 1, 2016
In her latest business venture (creating personalized barrettes), the pint-size entrepreneur harnesses the power of social networking, fifth-grade style. Cleo's a one-girl idea factory, but she's severely challenged in the sustained-attention department. What doesn't engage her (homework) gets overlooked. It's up to Caylee, her loyal sidekick and highly organized Latina BFF (a mini Marie Kondo), to oversee production of their Passion ClipsTM ("Tell the World Who You Are!!!"). Her loving adoptive parents keep Cleo on track in a lively household that includes two rambunctious little brothers, the family dog, five mealworms, and a rogue mouse. Cleo's a huge fan of Fortune A. Davies, an African-American like Cleo, who hosts a daily talk show. Her upbeat message of ethical empowerment resonates with Cleo. When Fortune invites "kidpreneurs" to promote their businesses on TV, Cleo enlists Caylee and satisfied customers to help, leading her to discover the difference between directing and dictating. She's relinquished the fantasy that Fortune's her birth mother, but sometimes Cleo imagines having a family that's exclusively black and not a patchwork quilt of skin colors, and she longs for answers about the stranger who's her mother. An opportunity to connect with her birth family feels thrilling--scary, too. No worries--courage is Cleo's strong suit. Frazier sensitively addresses these potential land mines with intelligence and sensitivity. Cleo's an engaging, effervescent original whose story unfolds with humor and insight, probing weighty issues with a light touch. (Fiction. 8-12)

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February 1, 2017

Gr 3-6-Cleo Edison Oliver and her best friend Caylee have started their own business, PassionClips, a personalized barrette service, and are promoting it to their school, churches, and family members. But the person who Cleo really hopes will take notice is Fortune A. Davies, an Oprah-like entrepreneur and television host who regularly features "kidpreneurs" on her show. Cleo was adopted-she's black, while her parents are white-and she has fantasized that Fortune is her biological mom. Although Cleo knows that Fortune can't be her birth mother, she still looks longingly at the African American people at her church and in her community and wishes that she didn't have to go to a different hair salon than her mom. What makes this adoption narrative stand out is the generally cheery tone; Cleo has a great life (albeit with some typical middle school drama), but Frazier expertly demonstrates that even the most loving adoption comes with some heartache. Reluctant readers will enjoy the accessible language and even pacing.

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