Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen by Kate McGovern

Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen

Kate McGovern, Author

Candlewick Press, Fiction, Oct. 12, 2021

Suitable for ages: 9-12

Themes: Dyslexia, Secrets,  Learning differences. Bullies, Friendship, Family, Hope, Multicultural

Publisher’s Synopsis:

Maple is in fifth grade—again. Now everyone will find out she struggles with reading—or will they? An engaging read for anyone who has ever felt different.

Maple Mehta-Cohen has been keeping a big secret: she can’t read well. She has an impressive vocabulary and loves dictating stories into her recorder—especially the adventures of a daring sleuth who’s half Indian and half Jewish like she is—but words on the page just don’t seem to make sense to her. Despite all Maple’s clever tricks to hide her troubles with reading, her teacher sees through them all, and now she is repeating fifth grade.

Maple is devastated—what will her friends think as she starts the school year? Will they forget about her? She uses her storytelling skills to convince her new fifth grade classmates that she’s staying back as a special teacher’s assistant (because of budget cuts, you know).

But as Maple navigates the loss of old friendships, the possibility of new ones, and facing her reading challenges head-on, her deception becomes harder to keep up. Can Maple begin to recognize her own strengths, and to love herself—and her brain—just the way she is? Readers who have faced their own trials with school and friendships will enjoy this heartwarming story and its bright, creative heroine.

Why I like this book:

Thank you Kate McGovern for writing a realistic and heartwarming middle grade story for students who have reading and learning differences. It’s important that they see themselves in a smart, clever and witty main characters like Maple, who deals with the emotional and social impact of her reading difficulties. She’s embarrassed. Her long-time friends ignore her. She’s bullied. But she’s resilient.  

Maple is a creative and compassionate main character. She is a girl who loves big words and is an excellent storyteller. Her favorite author is Agatha Christie and she always has a mystery she’s writing and recording. But her BIG secret becomes too stressful to keep. She has to figure things out for herself. Her journey is believable as she learns to embrace her dyslexia and use it positively. It is an inspiring story about family, friends and hope.

I also love that Maple is Indian and Jewish (Hin-Jew as she calls herself) and constantly feels caught in between — never fully belonging on one side. Many readers will identify with her mixed ethnicity. 

Learning differences present in many forms, including dyslexia. To learn more information, McGovern suggests readers check out the  website Understood to learn about the 1 in 5 Americans who learn and think differently. And you’ll have to read McGovern’s book to discover the famous people who have learning differences.

Kate McGovern is the author of the young adult novels Rules for 50/50 Chances and Fear of Missing Out. She has worked in schools and education nonprofits in Boston, London, and New York City, including at the Harlem Children’s Zone, where she served as a reading specialist and directed Shakespeare productions with middle-schoolers. Her daughter, Priya, is the original “Hin-Jew” kid that Maple is written for. Kate McGovern lives in an Indian-Jewish household in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Greg Pattridge hosts Marvelous Middle Grade Monday posts on his wonderful Always in the Middle website. Check out the link to see all of the wonderful reviews by KidLit bloggers and authors.

*Review copy provided by Candlewick Press in exchange for a review. 

Brilliant Bea by Shaina Rudolph and Mary Vukadinovich

Brilliant Bea

Shaina Rudolph and Mary Vukadinovich, Authors

Fiona Lee, Illustrator

Magination Press, Fiction, Nov. 16, 2021

Suitable for ages: 4-8

Themes: Learning differences, Reading challenges, Dyslexia, Storytelling, School

Opening: “They say you imagination can take you anywhere. I remember when mine didn’t let me leave the classroom.”

Synopsis:

Despite her struggles with reading and writing, Beatrice is a natural and brilliant storyteller. With help of a kind-hearted teacher, Beatrice uses an old-fashioned tape recorder to tell her stories in a whole new way. With her new approach, Beatrice is able to show her classmates who she really has been all along.

Brilliant Bea is an endearing story that demonstrates the power of expressing yourself and finding your unique strengths.

Why I like Brilliant Bee:

Shaina Rudolph and Mary Vukadinovich’s Brilliant Bea is an adorable and uplifting story that shows how a little girl discovers that learning differently from other students doesn’t define her. Even though reading and writing challenge Bea, she learns that she doesn’t need to feel embarrassed or afraid. She already expresses herself in many creative ways. 

Bea is a very expressive character. Like many children with dyslexia, Bea is very smart. She finds clever coping mechanisms and finds ways to distract the teacher with stories to avoid reading. Her teacher isn’t fooled and works with her. He recognizes she’s an excellent storyteller, so he hands her an old-fashioned tape recorder and encourages her to record her stories. 

I love how positive and supportive Bea’s parents are about her reading difficulties. Her mom says she “has a way with words.” Her dad says she’s a “real word slinger.” Her brother says she’s the “greatest storyteller on Earth.”  And once the kids in the class realize she tells good stories, they get involved in her adventures in a very fun and unique way.

Fiona Lee’s lively and colorful illustrations support the story plot and show a diverse group of characters. I particularly love her clever use of “sketches” on a white page to demonstrate Bea’s storytelling. 

The publisher uses a dyslexia-friendly Easy Reading font so that children with reading differences can read Bea’s story on their own. 

Resources: Make sure you check out the helpful Reader’s Note at the end of the story. There are wonderful questions that parents and teachers can use to begin a conversation with a child with dyslexia or other learning differences. This book is such a positive book to use with an entire classroom because it shows how they can support classmates with different learning styles.  

Shaina Rudolph is an author and educator in the Los Angeles area. She has worked alongside students with unique learning needs for the last 10 years. Shaina also co-authored All My Stripes: A Story for Children With Autism. Visit her @ShainaRudolph_ on Instagram.

Mary Vukadinovich has been working with students with language-based differences for the last 16 years. As a learning specialist in Los Angeles, Mary values the opportunity to teach diverse learners, including students with dyslexia. Mary believes all her students can be successful, and she is constantly inspired by how brightly they shine. Visit her at her @Mary_Vukadinovich on Instagram.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

*Review copy provided by Magination Press in exchange for a review.