Polly Diamond and the Magic Book

February 1, 2018

Gr 1-3-Polly Diamond has a great sense of adventure and an imaginative spirit: think Gooney Bird and Judy Moody rolled into one. Polly is about to get a new sibling. On the day her mother goes into labor, Polly receives a blank journal with amazing powers. Not only can the book write back to Polly, but it has the power to make her written hopes come true. The magical book turns her bedroom walls into an aquarium, makes her invisible, and transforms her little sister into a banana. All is not fun and magical games, however. Polly needs to resolve the problems that arise from too much magic. When the magical journal takes a very literal turn, Polly finds herself in a predicament that requires a good deal of careful writing to resolve. The energy of the writing keeps the pages turning, though the sophistication of some elements of the story may keep the audience rather limited or require an adult to read aloud and explain. Polly, as depicted on the cover and in interior illustrations, is brown-skinned, though her race and ethnicity are not mentioned in the text. Illustrations on nearly every page add visual appeal and will motivate new readers. VERDICT A fast-paced story full of magic. An additional selection for larger collections.-John Scott, Friends School of Baltimore

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 2, 2018
This breezy series kickoff from Kuipers (Violet and Victor Write the Most Fabulous Fairy Tale) introduces a heroine with a delightfully outsize personality and celebrates the power of imagination and words. An inveterate list lover and aspiring author, Polly Diamond makes an ambitious to-do list at the start of what she senses will be a “Super-Fantastic Day,” but she gets sidetracked when a mysterious package appears on her doorstep. It contains a blank book that responds to Polly’s written comments and requests—literally. After she wishes that her bedroom was painted aquarium blue, fish appear swimming along glistening walls; Polly disappears from sight after writing that she likes how playing hide-and-seek makes her feel invisible; and her yearning for a “perfectly palatial” house produces a mansion complete with a waterslide and a crown-shaped bed. The book’s magical power has some cornier repercussions, too: in an incident that would make Amelia Bedelia nod knowingly, instead of a club sandwich, Polly is served a wooden club between two slices of bread. As the narrator’s interior monologue moves at a whirlwind pace, Toledano’s spry cartoons amplify the story’s exuberance, conveying Polly’s imaginary and real lives with humor and affection. Ages 6–9.

April 1, 2018
A magic spelling book turns a young girl's world upside down as her family prepares for the arrival of a new baby brother.Polly Diamond is an aspiring writer and loves words--all kinds of words! But she especially loves the words in a new spelling book left mysteriously on her doorstep, because when she writes in the book, the book writes back. After writing a few lists and stories in the book, Polly soon realizes that the book's magic also has the power to make her words come true. She wants to show her amazing new book to her family, but Mom and Dad are busy with work and preparing the house for the new baby, including moving Polly's 3-year-old sister into Polly's room. When Polly tries to use the spelling book to improve things (turning her house into an enormous mansion and turning her sister into a banana), she soon discovers that the words she loves don't always mean what she wants them to. Kuipers spins an enchanting adventure of magic and mishaps as Polly tries to master the art of wishes and to balance her talent for stories with her need to be literal. Toledano's spot illustrations provide visual depth and a dynamic dimension of representation to Polly's multiracial family (Dad is white and Mom is a woman of color) and world.A great choice for logophiles and budding authors. (Fantasy. 5-8)

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Starred review from April 15, 2018
Polly Diamond has no shortage of imagination, but when a turquoise notebook arrives for her in the mail, her creativity is catapulted to new heights. This bubbly bookworm, who loves writing stories, spelling, and making lists, is in for a surprise when she writes in her new notebook?and the notebook writes back! Even more astounding is Polly's realization that the notebook is bringing her words to life. For instance, when she describes herself painting her bedroom aquarium blue, fish begin swimming around on the room's now-blue walls. This Amelia Bedelia-style gag will tickle young readers as the notebook's literal interpretations of Polly's sentences grow more outlandish. A subplot revolves around the imminent arrival of Polly's new baby brother, and many youngsters will identify with her annoyance over having to share a room with her little sister and subsequent mansion-filled dreams. The Diamonds, a mixed-race family, display a believably loving dynamic, complete with playful jokes and frustrations. Kuipers' early chapter book (the first in a new series) is a delight from start to finish. Toledano's sweet drawings and Polly's many lists keep the text manageable for newly independent readers, and Polly's fondness for words seamlessly introduces and defines more challenging terms, such as utopia and hyperbole. Upbeat and lovable, Polly Diamond brings the magic of imagination to life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
In this lighthearted chapter book, Polly receives a gift in the mail: a magical notebook that writes back to her. Polly records her thoughts and domestic adventures, including brainstorming names for her about-to-be-born brother. An entertaining introduction to this chipper and imaginative character (who, from the cheery, textured illustrations appears to be mixed-race, with a white father and brown-skinned mother).

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)