Fourth-grader Riley is a kid who loves lots of things: their parents, cousins, friends, all kinds of animals, making cool stuff (as well as messes), and being nonbinary. In this sixth volume of the early chapter book series by Jay Albee (a pen name for Jen Breach and J. Anthony), Riley is excited about seeing their Mama’s extended family this 4th of July for a family reunion. Cousins Marisol and Trudy (13 and 7 years old, respectively) are also there with their mom and stepdad. Riley helps their dad and Marisol decorate t-shirts for the reunion, goes to the local bodega to get ingredients for their mother’s ambrosia salad, folds empanadas with Marisol and Trudy, takes part in the annual kickball game for the younger kids, then hangs out with cousins young and old while others play softball.
There’s little suspense or dramatic tension in this book, just cheerful, slice-of-life scenes from the family reunion with gentle lessons about family and cooperation—and importantly, a nonbinary child being unconditionally accepted by family and neighbors. There’s a particularly sweet moment when Riley realizes the younger Trudy looks up to them the way they used to look up to older cousins.
Backmatter and More
Although it is a chapter book, not a picture book, comic-style illustrations at the chapter ends reflect the action of the story. Riley is biracial, with a Mexican mom and a White dad. As with every book in the series, this one starts with two graphic-format pages titled “I’m Riley,” in which Riley introduces themself, and two pages in which “Mx. Aude Teaches Helpful Terms,” giving definitions related to gender and queer identities. The latter might have worked better as backmatter, rather than slowing down the story with a pedagogical interruption (especially for those who have read other volumes in the series, with identical information), but this is good information to have nonetheless. Other than on those pages, however, gender identity is never mentioned, and Riley’s nonbinary identity is completely incidental to the story.
Actual backmatter includes discussion questions and writing prompts.
