Mixed-Up

Gr 3-6–Fifth grade friends Stella, Latasha, and Emiko have a shared obsession: their favorite magical television show, Witchlins. But when the TV show releases a guidebook and accompanying digital game, Stella can’t keep up with the text-heavy directions. Not only is she falling behind with her friends, her struggle to read and comprehend is also causing problems at school. Fortunately, Stella has a crew of concerned educators who see her challenges and help her gain the skills she needs to read fluently. Garcia writes Stella’s journey from her own lived experience being neurodivergent and parenting a dyslexic child. It’s because of this that Stella’s emotional crescendo of frustration and self-isolation feels deeply authentic. The word choices and visual cues increase this title’s accessibility for dyslexic or struggling readers. Brown’s visual storytelling is paced perfectly and will draw fans of Raina Telgemeier Smile, Varian Johnson’s Twins, and Kat Fajardo’s Miss Quinces right in. The characters throughout the book are diverse in ethnicity and skin tone, including Stella and her friend group, their families, teachers, and fellow students.