Ella Josephine is back in the third volume of this delightful chapter book series. Here, in three connected stories, the charmingly self-assured nine-year-old once again shows herself a helpful and caring neighbor to the residents of the old San Francisco apartment building where she lives with her two moms: husbands Jacques and Merland; artsy Matilda; young couple Leo and Cleo, and the mysterious elderly Robinsons.
In the first story, she and the Robinsons help Cleo with a secret surprise for the grand opening of her record store; in the second, she helps Jacques regain the confidence to create and share his art after his family of origin had made fun of it; in the third, Ella’s family and the neighbors go on a camping trip that doesn’t go as planned—but is somehow still perfect.
Author Nina LaCour once again gives us a book that is both entertaining and perceptive, with characters whose unique personalities shine from every page. Ella has spunk, but it’s tempered with kindness and a sense of community responsibility. She’s unapologetically self-confident but still willing to learn.
This is a warm book about noticing the details in everyday life, taking care of those around us, and how “None of us can know how anything will turn out. All we can do is try.” LaCour’s gentle lessons are a master class in “show, don’t tell,” while lively illustrations by Sònia Albert complement the prose. I hope we see more in this highly recommended series. It’s perfect for newly independent readers but would make a great family read aloud for slightly younger ones as well.
Ella and her moms are White; their neighbors reflect a variety of racial/ethnic identities. A minor new character uses they/them pronouns.
