The New Friend Fix

by Jennifer Torres, Gladys Jose (Illustrator)

Overview

One Day at a Time meets Mindy Kim in this second book in a charming new chapter book series about Catalina Castaneda, a Mexican American girl with a magical sewing kit who tries to befriend the new girl at school.

Catalina is excited to find out a new student, Esmeralda, has joined her third-grade class at Valle Grande Elementary School. But despite Catalina’s attempts to introduce herself, Esme won’t talk to anyone but her own cousin, Jazmín. Could Jazmín be keeping Esme from making new friends?

According to Catalina’s frenemy Pablo, it’s just like what happened to the secret princess in the telenovela hit The Hidden Crown! With Tía Abuela’s magical sewing kit, Catalina sets out to create a disguise to unravel the mystery.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534483064
Publisher:	Aladdin
Publication date:	03/22/2022
Series:	Catalina Incognito , #2
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	448,110
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.62(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Torres is the award-winning author of Stef Soto, Taco Queen; The Fresh New Face of Griselda; and other books for young readers. She writes stories about home, friendship, and unexpected courage inspired by her Mexican American heritage. Jennifer started her career as a newspaper reporter, and even though she writes fiction now, she hopes her stories still have some truth in them. She lives with her family in Southern California.

Gladys Jose is an illustrator and storyteller. She graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2012, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, specializing in graphic design. Gladys is the illustrator of Library Fish, Fresh Princess, The Elephants’ Guide to Hide-and-Seek, and the Once Before Time chapter book series.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1: First Day

Editorial Reviews

04/02/2022

Gr 1–4—Today is Catalina's all-time favorite: it is the first day of third grade. Her backpack is stuffed and ready, and she is determined to be the first one to meet the new girl, Esme, and introduce her to everybody. But her plan goes awry when Esme's cousin Jazmín mysteriously blocks all of Catalina's, and Catalina's "frenemy" Pablo's attempts at becoming friends with Esme. Why? What has gone wrong? More importantly, how can Catalina and Pablo "fix" things so everyone will become friends? As with the previous series entry, themes of friendship and home abound, and much of the story is inspired by Torres's Mexican American heritage. Translations of the author's occasional use of Spanish words will please young readers who don't speak Spanish and who will easily intuit their meanings from the story line, since this early chapter book does not include a vocabulary page. The liberal use of full-page illustrations will also help with understanding. Readers will relate to Catalina's desire to make new friends and will be intrigued by the hints of mystery that are scattered throughout the story surrounding her efforts. VERDICT This title is perfect for beginning chapter readers and will be a nice addition to a collection of early chapter books about friendship dynamics. Recommended purchase.—Cheryl Blevens

School Library Journal