Esme is so charming! New readers will be drawn in by the colorful illustrations but stick around for the story.

It’s Esme’s birthday, but now that she’s living with Mimi and Pipo, she’s not likely to have a birthday party—grandparents just don’t know how to do birthdays. She won’t have a party unless she does it herself. And she does! In this hilarious early chapter book, Esme gets the Garcia twins to make her a piñata, the Mora sisters to make her a cake, and the Leon family to play the music, all the time thinking that she’s doing this all herself. She lives in the uppermost floor of the topmost best building in the neighborhood, and this birthday bash is a tremendous success. Even Manny, the super, bows down to this force of nature. A hilarious story about the power of a community.

This book straddles the line between picture book and chapter book, much like Henry and Mudge. The plot has the simplicity of a picture book, a basic conflict with only minimal complications. Much of the complication is seen more in the illustrations than in the text itself. The writing is a bit more fleshed out, including more details and descriptive language than would be typical of a picture book. This leaves us with a quick, charming, easy to follow story that helps a beginning reader gain confidence. It helps that Esme is an irrepressible character. When her birthday isn't what she expected, she makes it happen for herself. She doesn't moan about not having a birthday party; she plans her own. Sure, that leaves some chaos in her wake but her cheerfulness wins over even the grumpiest of neighbors.

I thought this was a cute idea, i liked the illustrations but Esme was tone deaf and came off as a bit obnoxious.

Its Esme’s birthday and she is so excited. She lives on the top floor of a very tall building. She also lives with her Grandparents Mimi and Pipo. They have given her a gift but they have forgotten one little thing, there’s no birthday party been planned. No cake, no piñata, no balloons or streamers. Oh dear! What can she do.
El Tom her cat, helps Esme plan a very special birthday party and together they decided to invite everyone who lives on the many floors of their apartment block, until they get to the top floor where Esme and her grandparent live.
On each floor live people who love to do things; some like to cook, others like to make things out of paper and then others can play music on their guitar, which is very good, as Esme’s gift from her Mimi and Pipo was a guitar, which she cannot play! She makes music sound terrible!
Esme’s Birthday Conga Line is a wonderful chapter book which will have wide appeal to children who love a good story and really get making the most out of very little when the need arises. It is full of fun, initiative and absolute pleasure when things eventually work out just as Esme planned it; with a little or a lot of help from her friends.
Marissa Valdez, with her trendy illustrations captures the spirit of the little girl who recruits her neighbours to help her celebrate, as she realises that her Grandparents have simply forgotten what it is like to have a small person living with them once again, especially when it is birthday time.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh such a sweet cheerful story, both me and my daughter loved Esme's adventures organizing her own birthday party in the best building in the world.

She did have one question: who lives in Level 4, and why is it blank?

Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada/Tundra Books and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.
Esme is a whirlwind to put it honestly. She lives on the top floor of an apartment building with her grandparents and this is her first birthday while living with them. We have no backstory on why she is now living with her grandparents but that is seemingly pretty irrelevant to Esme. Outgoing, friendly, full of life and a bit too much would be a good way to describe her. Her grandparents are not throwing her a birthday party, but that does not stop Esme. She is bound and determined to have a party and we follow her throughout her journey to arrange her own party. She really does nothing to prepare for the party other than convince and cajole others into doing the work. I am sure most people know the backstory of this precocious child and so they agree to do everything for her party and by the end she ends up leading everyone in a conga line of dancing.
The story is cute, as are the illustrations but a bit more backstory would have been both nice and set things up a bit better. While not quite demanding, she certainly makes sure she gets her way and has others do the work.
It is a cute book, but no more for me. I fear that children will come away with the impression that by sheer force of will and demand they will get what they want, which is exactly what happens with Esme's birthday party.

Esme is an adorably determined and smart kid. It was fun to watch her interact with her neighbors and celebrate with them. I wasn't able to see all the illustrations in my copy but what I did looked very fun and active.

Esme can't help but get her entire apartment building celebrating her birthday. It's the first birthday she'll celebrate after moving in with her grandparents. She makes the guest list and sets to work putting together a party no one will forget. Esme is cheerful, happy, and a little oblivious, but she's never pushy. All characters are portrayed with different skin colors from white to dark brown. Spanish words and phrases are sprinkled throughout the text. Many kids will relate to the non-traditional family.

It is a joyful story, perfect for readers making the leap to chapter books. A much needed addition to the reader shelves with a diverse main character.

Thank you, Tundra Books and Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers, for the advance reading copy.

I love this chapter book. It's filled with fun all because of a young girl's birthday celebration!

I love the artwork. It's beautiful and so cute!

I find the writing quite apt for the target audience.

I would say the book ended quite abruptly.

A good, fun read.

Overall, I liked this book. I liked setting, diverse characters, illustrations. I can see many young readers enjoying it.

This book had fun illustrations. Esme lives with her grandparents and enlists her neighbors to throw Esme a birthday party. The book was cute, I just wish that Esme had acknowledged the effort her neighbors put into the party with a thank you.

Esme now lives with her grandparents and decides they have not planned an appropriately splashy birthday party she expects, so she takes it upon herself to enlist everyone in her apartment building to help with some aspect of the festivities. Eventually, the party attendees turn into a conga line of cake, decor, and entertainment in a march up to her apartment.