The Used-to-Be Best Friend

Starred review from March 22, 2021
In this buoyant series starter by Ojibwe author Quigley (Apple in the Middle), Indigenous first grader Josephine Makoons Azure, known as Jo Jo, narrates her experiences of home and school on the
fictional Pem-bina Ojibwe Reservation, where she lives with her mother and grandmother. In a winning, straightforward voice (“Ojibwe is my Native American tribe. You say it like this: Oh-JIB-way. See? Ojibwe”), Jo Jo introduces her growing concerns. Cat Mimi, Jo Jo’s “home best friend who ignores me sometimes,” needs shots, which the girl believes may deflate the feline, “just like a balloon letting the air out.” Jo Jo also worries that her school best friend, Fern, may not want to eat lunch with her anymore. Quigley adeptly creates strong classroom scenes that convey an inclusive student body’s realistic dynamic and an endearing, assured seven-year-old protagonist who appreciates her cultural identity (“If you can say Tyrannosaurus rex, you can say nindizhinikaaz”). B&w cartoon drawings by Audibert (This Place), who is of Wolastoqey/French heritage, emphasize characterization throughout. Front matter discusses reservations and Native Nations; back matter includes a Michif and Ojibwe glossary with pronunciations and an author’s note. Ages 6–10. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary.

Starred review from July 1, 2021
This series opener introduces Jo Jo Makoons Azure, a rambunctious first grader with "strong lungs" (according to her mom) and a wish to make more friends. In eight brief yet eventful chapters, we follow this seven-year-old Everygirl through a relatable and entertaining series of misadventures and misunderstandings -- over everything from rhyming words, to teachers ("Jim" is astonishingly not the P. E. teacher's first name), to Little Shell Elementary School's yearbook cover. Through it all, the first-person narrative is consistently engaging, with just the right touch of primary-grade silliness to balance out Jo Jo's fears about friendship. Will Mimi, her cat and "home best friend," deflate like a balloon when she gets her shots? And why hasn't Fern, her "school best friend," been sitting with her at lunch lately? Throughout, contemporary Native culture takes center stage: Jo Jo's multigenerational family lives on the fictional Pembina Ojibwe reservation; some Ojibwe and Michif words are phonetically spelled within the text in a manner consistent with Jo Jo's hilariously frank voice ("If you can say Tyrannosaurus rex, you can say nindizhinikaaz ["my name is..." in Ojibwe]"). Audibert's cartoony illustrations add humorous layers to this exemplary transitional reader. Sam Bloom

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2021
This series opener introduces Jo Jo Makoons Azure, a rambunctious first grader with "strong lungs" (according to her mom) and a wish to make more friends. In eight brief yet eventful chapters, we follow this seven-year-old Everygirl through a relatable and entertaining series of misadventures and misunderstandings -- over everything from rhyming words, to teachers ("Jim" is astonishingly not the P. E. teacher's first name), to Little Shell Elementary School's yearbook cover. Through it all, the first-person narrative is consistently engaging, with just the right touch of primary-grade silliness to balance out Jo Jo's fears about friendship. Will Mimi, her cat and "home best friend," deflate like a balloon when she gets her shots? And why hasn't Fern, her "school best friend," been sitting with her at lunch lately? Throughout, contemporary Native culture takes center stage: Jo Jo's multigenerational family lives on the fictional Pembina Ojibwe reservation; some Ojibwe and Michif words are phonetically spelled within the text in a manner consistent with Jo Jo's hilariously frank voice ("If you can say Tyrannosaurus rex, you can say nindizhinikaaz ["my name is..." in Ojibwe]"). Audibert's cartoony illustrations add humorous layers to this exemplary transitional reader. Sam Bloom

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2021
This series opener introduces Jo Jo Makoons Azure, a rambunctious first grader with "strong lungs" (according to her mom) and a wish to make more friends. In eight brief yet eventful chapters, we follow this seven-year-old Everygirl through a relatable and entertaining series of misadventures and misunderstandings -- over everything from rhyming words, to teachers ("Jim" is astonishingly not the P. E. teacher's first name), to Little Shell Elementary School's yearbook cover. Through it all, the first-person narrative is consistently engaging, with just the right touch of primary-grade silliness to balance out Jo Jo's fears about friendship. Will Mimi, her cat and "home best friend," deflate like a balloon when she gets her shots? And why hasn't Fern, her "school best friend," been sitting with her at lunch lately? Throughout, contemporary Native culture takes center stage: Jo Jo's multigenerational family lives on the fictional Pembina Ojibwe reservation; some Ojibwe and Michif words are phonetically spelled within the text in a manner consistent with Jo Jo's hilariously frank voice ("If you can say Tyrannosaurus rex, you can say nindizhinikaaz �"my name is..." in Ojibwe]"). Audibert's cartoony illustrations add humorous layers to this exemplary transitional reader.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)