Here's another delightful story in the Marisol Rainey series. This series is very popular in my elementary school Media Center. What's especially satisfying about this series is the individual books can be a stand-alone or a continuation of Marisol's many adventures.
Marisol's background contributes to the diversity of many families. Her mother is Filipino, and her father works on an oil rig so is far from home quite a bit of the time. This latest revolves around a fear of many people, a fear of having to get up in front of a group of people and speak. Here, Marisol's teacher gives the class the assignment of writing a haiku and then requires each student to recite their haiku in front of the whole class. The angst begins.
I especially enjoyed how Kelly introduced haikus to the student, which allowed the reader to grasp what it was and how to write it. The support of friends, and especially, her mother, made it more palatable. So many readers will relate to this and understand that they're not alone. It's about friendship, overcoming those scaries, and believing that you can triumphantly achieve what you set out to do. Great message!