Pia's Plans

June 1, 2020
Pia strives to be the perfect student, sister, daughter, friend, and track star, but when Pia's plans come crashing down, she is forced to learn a tough lesson in humility. Pia carries the world on her shoulders, trying to hold everything together for her family while being a high achiever in school and extracurriculars. Ambition combined with strong perfectionist and control streaks have also left Pia incredibly anxious. It all comes to a head one fateful day. Seemingly everything that can go wrong does, starting with a tumble down the stairs and a probably sprained ankle. It is all downhill from there, as a longtime friendship teeters, an embarrassing accident leads to detention, and her aching ankle threatens to rob her of a win in her signature race, the 400 meters. Amid it all Pia grasps for control and anxiety soars, but a strong support system and sage advice help her to find balance. Simple vocabulary, short chapters, and quick pacing make this slice-of-life story a great high-interest, low-reading level option for struggling readers. The frank discussion of mental health and how the need for perfection and control can contribute to anxiety ring true while the advice of adults within the text is encouraging without being too preachy. Pia is depicted on the cover with pale skin, straight brown hair, and brown eyes. A fast-paced, hi-lo tale sure to ring true for many. (Fiction. 9-14)

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August 14, 2020

Gr 3-6-Pia has big plans: She is determined to become the best at everything, and she has everything lined up to succeed. From training for track to studying for exams, she checks off the items on her to-do lists every day in order to become perfect. Adjusting to her parents' divorce, she moves back and forth with her not-so-perfect twin sister from her dad's chaotic home to her mother's perfect one. Readers will relate to Pia's everyday concerns including friendships, family, athletic goals, and good grades. Pia has a more difficult time trying to cope with these stressors as they begin to build up. What happens when life starts becoming imperfect? How can Pia handle the stress that comes with failure and bad days? In this realistic fiction title dealing with anxiety and divorced parents at a young age, Pia is an engaging character learning to handle tough situations. This is a high-interest novel for middle readers, written in a highly accessible format with features including dyslexia-friendly font, increased spacing, larger trim size, and cream-colored paper to minimize contrast. VERDICT A solid purchase for libraries in need of accessible hi-lo titles dealing with serious concerns in a light manner.-Julie Jesernik, Warrenville P.L., IL

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