The one and only Sparkella makes a plan

K-Gr 3--Sparkella and her amazing father are back, and new friend Tam is on her way for a sleepover. Sparkella has a problem: How can she create a castle for two royal highnesses? Enter Dad, wearing a Hawaiian lei, wolf slippers, and a can-do attitude. According to Sparkella, the castle must be made of leopard stones, have a moat, two floors, a candy shop, and a secret passage. When the castle isn't turning out how she wanted, Sparkella gets another boost from her father. "We paint and patch and polish. And when we are done…it is even better than what I had imagined." In this weaker second story about the charming father-daughter duo, the illustrations are bold and bright with glitz, glam, and shimmers around Sparkella and her creations. A pet turtle makes a regular appearance on many pages and is included in the royal castle experience, but children will love the book's disclaimer: "No turtles were harmed in the making of this book." While Sparkella and her father are white, Tam and her grandmother have brown skin. VERDICT With a more random plot than the first book but appended with the same lesson, this will be another favorite with fans of Sparkella.--Tracy Cronce

Reality puts only a temporary damper on big, glittery plans for a sleepover castle. New school friend Tam, who shared bánh mi at lunch in The One and Only Sparkella (2021), is arriving in two hours, and before that Sparkella needs to make a castle "fit for two royal highnesses." Unfortunately, even with Dad's help, the flimsy cardboard construction collapses as soon as Sparkella climbs inside to test it. What to do? After giving the pouting princess some personal time in the garage, Dad points the way: "I think you have to take what you have and make it SPARKLE like only you can." And, indeed, by the time brown-skinned "Tam, Queen of Kittens" is dropped off by her grandma, a pair of folding tables have been transformed with paint, wrapping paper, and colorful fabrics into the sparkliest castle ever! Laying on saturated colors and sprays of tiny stars with a lavish hand, Barnes depicts the two young "royals" in flamboyantly decorated settings--even Dad's motorcycle is a dazzling confection awash in bows, and Dad himself, light-skinned like Sparkella, isn't the least decorative element considering his fondness for sporting a purple boa and outrageous eyewear when occasion demands. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A second scintillating celebration of personal style and dad-daughter DIY. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.