Jelly by Jo Cotterill. 272 p. Yellow Jacket/ Little Bee Books, January, 2020. 9781499810066. (Review of finished purchased copy.)
Middle Grade Monday features Jelly by Jo Cotterill. Twelve-year-old Angelica, Jelly for short, does spot-on impressions of her teachers and is quick with a joke. She does so both to keep her classmates laughing; but also to beat them to the punch. Jelly is overweight. When classmates do make hurtful comments about her weight, she's the first to laugh it off. She lives with her single mom who tends to have boyfriends who don't treat her very well. Jelly is also a poet and write poems in her journal, which she shares with no one.
This first-person narrative is engaging. Jelly is frank and quite funny. Her poems reveal her sensitive side. Readers will root for Jelly as she wrestles with self-confidence and her body image.
Imani's Moon by JaNay Brown-Wood. Illustrated by Hazel Mitchell. unpgd. Charlesbridge Publisher, October, 2014. 9781934133576. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)
Imani is constantly teased by the members of her Maasai tribe for her short stature. What she lacks in height, she makes up for with determination and imagination thanks to her supportive mother who fuels Imani with stories each night. Tales of the moon goddess and Anansi sustain her and it is her heart's desire to touch the moon. As she tries and fails, the taunts do not diminish her intentions. Magical realism is deeply embedded in this lilting story. The bright, energetic illustrations are endearing and add to the sweetness of the story.
