Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen by Kate McGovern, 278 pages. Candlewick Press, 2021. $17
Language: G (1 swear); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL-ESSENTIAL; MS-ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Intelligent, creative Maple Mehta-Cohen, has always faked her way through school, hiding the fact that when she looks at words, she can’t understand them. But her fifth grade teacher noticed and now she has to repeat fifth grade, while her best friends move on to sixth grade. Maple feels embarrassed, and as she starts fifth grade again, she secretly tells Jack Wells, who is new and also in the lowest reading group, that she is repeating fifth grade as a special teacher’s helper. Now she is in the middle of a story of mystery and intrigue, not unlike the stories that she loves to create.
This was a cute story about learning differences, discovering your talents, family and friendship. Maple is a storyteller, and the author does a great job of having one voice for the narrative, and another voice for Maple’s stories. I felt like some of the characters should have been more developed, but Maple is well developed and it’s her story, so that is good. This story would be an essential read aloud for any older child with a learning difference to help them discover that their disability is not the most important part of who they are. Maple is a Hin-Jew, as her parents call her - Dad is Indian; Mom is Jewish.
Reviewer: J. Rosskopf
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