Polly Diamond Reviews

Reviews for
Polly Diamond and the Super Stunning
Spectacular School Fair

“Full to the brim with fun . . . For story lovers and storytellers.

“Polly and Spell return to shake up the school book fair after series opener Polly Diamond and the Magic Book (2018). Polly Diamond’s day is going to be spectacular: Today is the school fair, and it’s all about books. The mixed-race girl’s love of books and words has only grown since her magic book, Spell, appeared, and the pair have had several adventures, playing with words and stories as everything that Polly writes in Spell comes true. At school, what starts as one idea to make up for the broken popcorn machine soon becomes a game of punny attractions as a Pop-Open-A-Book-Corn stall, a Title-Tastic-Photo Booth, a Read-A-Coaster, and much more spill from Polly’s imagination to Spell’s pages and out over the fair. The fair is a massive hit, but after a magic carpet ride and turning a friend into a dragon (and her annoying babysitter into a squirrel), Polly realizes she has lost Spell. Alas, retracing her steps is not as simple as vanquishing a puddle monster. This second installment is full to the brim with the fun and tricky flexibility of language, which drives the small tempest of plot. Potential new vocabulary is called out with italics and defined, though clarity is hampered somewhat by the use of italics for emphasis with other words as well. Nevertheless, Toledano’s spot art continues to add another dimension to Polly and Spell’s world, giving less-experienced readers extra context clues and establishing Polly’s dad as white and her mom as a woman of color. For story lovers and storytellers.”
– Kirkus Reviews

Reviews for
Polly Diamond
and the Magic Book

Awarded Ontario Library Association’s Best Bets for 2019

Named a Parents Magazine Best Book for 2018

Made Chicago Public Library 2018 Best Books of the Year List

“Upbeat and lovable, Polly Diamond brings the magic of imagination to life.”

 
“Polly Diamond has no shortage of imagination, but when a turquoise notebook arrives for her in the mail, her creativity is catapulted to new heights. This bubbly bookworm, who loves writing stories, spelling, and making lists, is in for a surprise when she writes in her new notebook—and the notebook writes back! Even more astounding is Polly’s realization that the notebook is bringing her words to life. For instance, when she describes herself painting her bedroom aquarium blue, fish begin swimming around on the room’s now-blue walls. This Amelia Bedelia–style gag will tickle young readers as the notebook’s literal interpretations of Polly’s sentences grow more outlandish. A subplot revolves around the imminent arrival of Polly’s new baby brother, and many youngsters will identify with her annoyance over having to share a room with her little sister and subsequent mansion-filled dreams. The Diamonds, a mixed-race family, display a believably loving dynamic, complete with playful jokes and frustrations. Kuipers’ early chapter book (the first in a new series) is a delight from start to finish. Toledano’s sweet drawings and Polly’s many lists keep the text manageable for newly independent readers, and Polly’s fondness for words seamlessly introduces and defines more challenging terms, such as utopia and hyperbole. Upbeat and lovable, Polly Diamond brings the magic of imagination to life.”
– Booklist, April 15, 2018
 

“This breezy series kickoff introduces a heroine with a delightfully outsize personality and celebrates the power of imagination and words.”

 
“This breezy series kickoff from Kuipers (Violet and Victor Write the Most Fabulous Fairy Tale) introduces a heroine with a delightfully outsize personality and celebrates the power of imagination and words. An inveterate list lover and aspiring author, Polly Diamond makes an ambitious to-do list at the start of what she senses will be a “Super-Fantastic Day,” but she gets sidetracked when a mysterious package appears on her doorstep. It contains a blank book that responds to Polly’s written comments and requests—literally. After she wishes that her bedroom was painted aquarium blue, fish appear swimming along glistening walls; Polly disappears from sight after writing that she likes how playing hide-and-seek makes her feel invisible; and her yearning for a “perfectly palatial” house produces a mansion complete with a waterslide and a crown-shaped bed. The book’s magical power has some cornier repercussions, too: in an incident that would make Amelia Bedelia nod knowingly, instead of a club sandwich, Polly is served a wooden club between two slices of bread. As the narrator’s interior monologue moves at a whirlwind pace, Toledano’s spry cartoons amplify the story’s exuberance, conveying Polly’s imaginary and real lives with humor and affection.”
– Publishers Weekly, April 2, 2018

“A fast-paced story full of magic.”

 
“Diamond has a great sense of adventure and an imaginative spirit: think Gooney Bird and Judy Moody rolled into one. Polly is about to get a new sibling. On the day her mother goes into labor, Polly receives a blank journal with amazing powers. Not only can the book write back to Polly, but it has the power to make her written hopes come true. The magical book turns her bedroom walls into an aquarium, makes her invisible, and transforms her little sister into a banana. All is not fun and magical games, however. Polly needs to resolve the problems that arise from too much magic. When the magical journal takes a very literal turn, Polly finds herself in a predicament that requires a good deal of careful writing to resolve. The energy of the writing keeps the pages turning, though the sophistication of some elements of the story may keep the audience rather limited or require an adult to read aloud and explain. Polly, as depicted on the cover and in interior illustrations, is brown-skinned, though her race and ethnicity are not mentioned in the text. Illustrations on nearly every page add visual appeal and will motivate new readers. VERDICT A fast-paced story full of magic. An additional selection for larger collections.”
– School Library Journal, March 2018