ALA Booklist (Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2019)

Alma loves visiting her family in the city. They all live at 86½ Twenty-Third Avenue, with Abuelita's secondhand shop on the ground floor and extended family in apartments above, including Alma's cousin (and best friend) Del. But living is different than visiting, and when Alma moves to the city, she's unsure how to fit into her new life and family. She chafes under Del's boundless enthusiasm for "everyday magic" and longs for the quiet of her old home by the lake. Is she the only one in the family who does not believe in magic? Alma steals an important treasure from Del, and the girls fall out. It will take the help of Abuelita and Titi Rosa for Alma to find her place. Told in third person, the perspectives alternate between Alma and Del. The result is a nuanced look at the girls' friendship, emotions, and motivations. A transitional chapter book with unusual depth, good pacing, and a loving, supportive Latinx family. Libraries should find space on their shelves for this new series.

Horn Book (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2020)

Alma is excited to be taking up residence with her parents on the fourth floor of 86-and-a-half Twenty-third Avenue, home of her abuelita (and her Curious Cousins Secondhand Shoppe); Alma's best-friend-cousin Del; and other aunts, uncles, and cousins. As she is used to seeing family only on special occasions, though, the sudden shift in frequency leaves Alma feeling "left out of [her] own family." Weekends are spent going to stoop sales in search of items to resell at the shop. A pair of earrings causes tension between the cousins (Del thinks they're magically just for her and that they "found" her; Alma, annoyed, thinks magic "doesn't belong to any one person") before a realistic reconciliation. Short chapters each contain several lively sketchlike illustrations; a two-page cutaway of the apartment building at the outset will have readers continually returning to study its details. This thoughtful first book in a projected series probes questions of what it means to belong to a family and how sensitive children perceive the subtle pressures of conformity. Julie Hakim Azzam

School Library Journal (Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2020)

Gr 2-5 Best friends and cousins Alma and Del are excited that Alma's family has moved to be closer. Living together with their abuelita and extended family is going to be so much better than just visiting. The more Del tries to catch Alma up on all the things she needs to know about their neighborhood, the more Alma feels out of place and begins to miss her old lakeside house. When the girls find a pair of "magic" earrings at a stoop sale, the discovery tests their friendship for the first time. This series debut is a sweet tale about friendship, family, and being the new kid on the block. The chapters alternate between Alma's and Del's perspectives. The line-drawing illustrations throughout give a glimpse of the street where the girls live, the magic earrings, and some of the foods, like empanadas and gofio. VERDICT A good fit for larger collections. Put this book in the hands of kids who enjoy series like Annie Barrows's "Ivy and Bean" or Megan McDonald's "Judy Moody." Kristin Williamson, Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma