Emma Perez is going to be famous! Right now, she is eight, and she hasn't figured out how she is going to achieve this yet, but she practices all the time; singing and dancing are great ways to handle mundane chores like setting the table. When she spots a glamorous investigative reporter on the TV news, Emma knows what she wants to be. After a classmate finds a worm in his lunchtime hamburger, she sets out to both solve the mystery and broadcast the story (with help from her radio journalist father). Emma is as cheerfully full of herself as an eight-year-old can be, but her bright first-person narrative comes across as enthusiastic and self-confident, while the intergenerational and multicultural cast provide authentic support. The mystery of the "wormburger" is a bit of a stretch; however, it is pulled off with aplomb. Bold illustrations add freshness and appeal. This is the first book in a series, so stay tuned for more Emma on the air.

Gr 2-4 This series opener introduces eight-year-old Emma, resident of Washington Heights, NY. Her most memorable trait, besides her Hispanic heritage, which comes up often in the bookespecially when she speaks in short Spanish phrasesis her great desire to be famous. She mentions it often, sings it, and chants it. It is the driving force behind the plot of the book, in which Emma learns how to be a TV reporter and starts an investigation of how a worm gets into a burger in the school cafeteria. The adults, including her father and her teachers, seem irritated by her need to be famous, and it has a similar effect on readers. Emma is an intelligent girl who learns real skills and takes initiative toward a goal, but it is all overshadowed by her annoying personality and relentless quest for fame. The writing, also, contains too much exposition and not enough description. There are too many exclamations, too many explanations, and not nearly enough character development. The design and illustrations will appeal to children, especially the large eyes and the bright cover, and the book is formatted and designed well. VERDICT Despite a good subject and plotline, the character of Emma is just too cloying to embrace. Shalini Miskelly, St. Benedict Catholic School, Seattle, WA