[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Amulet Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Seventh grade is off to a less-than-stellar start for Maddie. And it feels even worse when her favorite teacher, Mr. Xian, tells her that the new mayoral candidate is campaigning on a platform that includes a cut to all arts programs in the public schools. If she wins, there will be no music, no drama, no art – and no Mr. Xian. And since no one is running against her, this is all essentially a done deal.
Maddie convinces her post-college nanny, Janet, to run for mayor. Janet agrees that the arts are important, and she wants to be a voice for people like Maddie who can’t vote. But Janet and Maddie are both in for a steep learning curve over what running for mayor entails.
Review
I enjoyed this! Maddie is quirky, and I liked her. I was amused – and saddened – at how often her mom was off at some seminar to be a better parent rather than actually sticking around and BEING a parent to Maddie. And don’t even get me started on Maddie’s dad. I was happy that the family pieces of this were part of the backdrop to the larger story rather than the focus. Thankfully Maddie had Janet!
The friendship pieces here were also part of the backdrop, but a little more pertinent as Maddie has to face her friendship issues during the campaign. She discovers that it really isn’t just about what the other kids are or aren’t doing, but also about what SHE was doing and not doing in these relationships. It’s a smaller piece of the book, but I liked it. I think kids will find some interesting pieces here to talk about, too.
But the focus of the book is on this local election. And I loved this whole part of the story. A local election has more direct impact on our day-to-day lives. It’s also where citizens can get the most directly involved which is what Maddie and her friends do. Some readers have raised the issue that a mayor wouldn’t have any voice in what the school curriculum includes, but I think as a springboard, that doesn’t matter to the goal of the book or how I would use it with kids. I thought questions could be raised, too, about why the townspeople didn’t ask harder questions of the councilwoman about the issues they had in town. If she hadn’t addressed them as part of the council, why would they think she would as mayor? But, again, this is a springboard to conversation. This book isn’t going to be a perfect illustration of every city government.
Readers get to see Maddie – and Janet – learn how to get on the ballot, how to find and connect with voters, and how to look outside personal preferences to the needs of the larger community. This book is, in my opinion, meant to LAUNCH a conversation, not be the be-all-end-all. Use this to help readers ask questions about the same processes in your community. Get involved in a local campaign as a family. Attend a town hall or a debate. If you are looking for a way to talk with kids about the upcoming election season, start here!
Rating: ♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥= Great! Might re-read