In this follow up to Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/Marisol McDonald no combina (Children’s Press), Marisol MacDonald “combines” many different things at once: with a Peruvian mom and an American dad, her dark skin contrasts with her bright orange hair; she puts orange juice in her cereal instead of milk; wears green stripes with red flowers; and for her eighth birthday, plans a giant “clash bash!” Instead of picking just one theme, she decides to have a soccer-unicorn-princess-pirate party!
Read Related: The Birthday Box/Mi caja de cumpleaños
But what Marisol wants most for her birthday is for her beloved abuelita from Peru to visit. It’s been two years since Marisol last saw her grandma, and she’s been saving money in her piggy bank to pay for a plane ticket for her to travel to the United States. Despite this, Marisol’s mother explains that it is not just the cost of the trip that is an issue; her grandmother lacks a visa to travel. Although disappointed, Marisol manages to have a fantastic time at her birthday party–and her parents have one more surprise in store. This truly bilingual book, which intersperses Spanish and English terms in both versions of the text, includes a glossary of important terms used in the book with pronunciation guides in both languages.
—Reviewed by Beth Rotella, Teacher, New York
