Ella Josephine is back in the second 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 tale here, she helps Cleo, newly moved from Washington state and currently unemployed, through an identity crisis, but also comes to learn some new things about friendship and herself.
In the second, the heart of the book, she finds a secret room in the apartment building. With her moms’ consent, she arranges a meeting of all the residents so they can decide what to do with the newfound space. But everyone has a different idea, and Ella realizes that being the Resident in Charge is harder than she’d expected. Her perceptive insights about each resident, however, help her realize the commonality of their disparate requests. Ella Josephine’s solution, which I won’t spoil, is a simple masterclass in personal respect and community building.
The third story builds on the idea of community as Ella helps Merland prepare a dinner party for the apartment’s residents, despite their varied food restrictions and preferences and Merland’s lack of organizational skills.
Woven into each plot are thoughtful moments about friendship, community, family, and paying attention to the details in the world around us. Ella has spunk, but it’s tempered with kindness to make her an engaging role model. She’s precocious, but not annoyingly so; she’s clearly one of those kids who is comfortable around adults and mature enough to organize a community meeting, but who still knows she needs her moms’ permission for some things.
The publisher’s blurb draws parallels to classic children’s series Ivy + Bean, The Penderwicks, and Eloise, with a dash of Armistead Maupin’s Tales of The City. Those are all apt comparisons, even as Ella, her family, and her neighbors feel unique in personalities and experiences, honoring the earlier books while also offering something new. Author Nina LaCour’s prose is perfectly paced and absolutely enjoyable, while illustrations by Sònia Albert add to the fun. It’s a highly recommended read that makes me eager for the next volume.
Ella and her moms are White; their neighbors reflect a variety of racial/ethnic identities.
