Keena Ford and the Secret Journal Mix-Up

August 15, 2010
Keena and her friends are back—still in second grade, and Keena is still keeping a journal. Something is different with it, though. Her special clouds-and-rainbows journal has been taken by the very mean Tiffany, who is using its contents to blackmail Keena into being her friend. Keena does not see a way out of her predicament until her brother helps her find a solution. The journal format seems particularly strained in this third installment of the series, and Keena's observations are uneven—calling Tiffany a "muffinhead" at one turn, then telling a long fable, complete with a moral, and then, a few moments later, not knowing how many TV shows take place in 30 minutes. All the action takes place and is recorded in a four-day period—quite an accomplishment for a second grader. While readers will be glad that Keena discovers that friends can actually be related to you, the surprisingly adult voice of second grader Keena and quick resolution of a real problem will strain credulity. (Chapter book. 6-9)

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October 1, 2010

Gr 1-3-Second-grader Keena Ford keeps a journal full of her thoughts about her friends and her family. When it falls into the hands of the resident mean girl, she risks having her secrets spill out unless she does whatever Tiffany commands. To make things more awkward, Keena must write a speech about friendship when an author comes to her school. She really wants to write about her best friend, Linny, instead of Tiffany. She has to choose between being stuck with her nemesis and coming clean about what she's been writing in her journal. Her single mother has even more on her mind as Keena's brother gets into trouble at school. The story is written in journal style, with Keena describing daily events. Young readers will relate to her friendship dilemma and appreciate her vibrant personality. Morrison's occasional full-page drawings capture the interactions of the children and are great at depicting their facial expressions. Readers of Sharon Draper's "Sassy" series (Scholastic) will enjoy meeting Keena.-Kris Hickey, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2010
Grades 1-3 Written in diary format, this latest mix-up in the ongoing Keena Ford series finds the African American Washington, D.C., student thoroughly upset after Tiffany Harris, the meanest muffinhead in the whole second grade, finds Keenas journal, filled with private and not-always-complimentary feelings about others. After threatening to share what she has read, Tiffany tries to blackmail Keena, who finally stands up for herself. Thomson sensitively captures Keenas everyday anxieties at school as well as the friction and love she feels at home with her divorced mom and older brother. Morrisons appealing, full-page illustrations will draw new chapter-book readers into the text.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)