The Marigold Mess

I'm crazy about Sofia Martinez. These books are the perfect blend of Hispanic culture with the broad American culture. The first girl who checked out one of my Sofia books from my primary school library brought it back to me a little while after she had a chance to look at it more closely. “It's in Spanish,” she told me sadly. “No,” I told her, “it's mostly in English, with a few Spanish words.” I showed her the glossary of Spanish words and their meanings and she brightened. “I know a lot of these words anyway,” she told me happily. She returned it a few days later and asked for another Sofia. The reading level is ideal for our early chapter book readers in first and second grade.