Review by Booklist Review
Black third-grader Millie Magnus can't wait for family field day at school. She has her friends, her pet chick (named Extra Spicy), her mother (the mayor), and her mother's know-it-all assistant to support her. The only thing preventing Millie from feeling great is the school bully, Buckley, who is white. Millie's story outlines what to do when a person is being bullied in an accessible way for young kids. Millie is a strong character who is not afraid to express herself but also knows the value of asking adults for help. A resolution is achieved after Millie learns what is causing some of Buckley's bullying behavior, reminding readers that sometimes people's actions are driven by circumstances we can't see. In addition to the main drama, Millie is also dealing with the loss of her father and shifting dynamics at home. Grayscale chapter art highlights the racial diversity of Millie's friend group and captures Millie's many emotions as the story unfolds. This first book in a new series is an excellent addition to early chapter-book collections.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Though vivacious third grader Millie likes to think she's the boss, she knows that the real person in charge is her mother, the mayor of Washington, D.C.--and her mother's assistant Josephine, who stepped in to help following Millie's father's death years ago, much to Millie's dismay. Josephine has too many rules, such as exiling Millie's chicken, Extra Crispy, to sleep in a coop instead of Millie's room. But Millie has bigger problems than Josephine's regulations. At school, bully Buckley taunts Millie and her friends relentlessly. So when Millie learns that she and her mother will compete against Buckley and his father on Field Day, Millie's favorite day, she's devastated. Mom encourages her to stand up to Buckley, but when Millie takes this advice too far, she ends up in hot water with the principal. Worse, Josephine must act as her partner when Mom is too busy to participate. But both Josephine and Buckley have a few surprises in store in this charming series kickoff by Mazique (Delphine Denise and the Mardi Gras Prize), confidently narrated by Millie and complemented by energetic b&w illustrations from Glenn (Bella Ballerina). Millie is Black; supporting characters are racially diverse. Ages 5--8. (Dec.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--Millicent Magnus Miller--that full name usage signaling trouble, ahem--makes a mighty debut in Mazique's entertaining new series, spiritedly animated by Leigh's enthusiastic performance. Millie Magnus--her preferred moniker--is inarguably her own boss, "at least most of the time." Occasionally she must concede to Mayor Maude's rules, because she's the mom (and DC's mayor), and to Josephine Draper because, since Millie Magnus's dad's passing, Josephine is Mayor Maude's assistant not just for "city stuff, but for home stuff, too." Her three "bestest" friends make third grade great, although "mean ole Buckley" who "lately… picks on just about everyone" is a daily challenge. With her favorite Field Day fast approaching, Millie Magnus needs to figure out how not to let the bully ruin the fun. Quite a few surprises--and solutions--await. VERDICT Leigh enlivens quirky Millie Magnus with encouraging empathy and vivacious charm.
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Voluble third grader Millicent Magnus Miller makes her series debut. Dubbed "quirky" by her mother (an assessment readers will likely agree with), Millie narrates her own well-paced story in a flow of verbiage she often has trouble stemming. She is "the boss" but defers to her mom, who happens to be the mayor of Washington, D.C. Mayor Maude's a single parent (Millie's father is dead), but her assistant, Josephine Draper, adds more rules, like insisting that Millie's pet chick, Extra Spicy, live in the coop outside. Millie and her "bestest friends," Lunchbox, Poppy Anne, and Atticus, also face a sneaky, name-calling bully, Buckley. (Mazique drops an early clue: Only recently has Buckley "become so mean.") Other conflicts involve Millie learning she can't take Extra Spicy to the school's Family Field Day and competing against Buckley in the three-legged race. It strains credulity somewhat that both teacher and principal fail to get Millie's side of the bullying story, but Mazique gives Millie a relatable awareness of her struggles with impulse control, like "not being quiet and not sitting in my seat." Eventually things improve in a teachable turnaround that's a bit abrupt but still moving. Glenn's realistic cartoon-style drawings portray Mille, her family, the principal, and Atticus as Black; the teacher, Poppy Anne, and Buckley as white; and Lunchbox as East Asian. A new series starring a whimsical protagonist certain to endear herself to readers.(Chapter book. 6-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
