Open for business

Regina Grey is a "whisper of a girl" who "no one seemed to notice." Far from being a standout student ("she muddled her math, spluttered her spelling, and got jumbled up in gym"), the child, who presents as white, is nevertheless practiced at "disappearing into books." But when by chance her reading helps a few of her classmates solve their problems, she quickly becomes the "Recess Genius," offering solutions for everything from little brothers to bees to recovering a beloved stuffy. But while being noticed is nice, Regina misses her books; she tries to curb the diverse classroom's demand for her services by handing out deliberately bad advice, only to find even her snarkiest solutions work wonders. Sumner Johnson (Braver Than Brave) employs a spry, wry voice, following the protagonist's problem-solving prowess as she finds a way to seek solitude some of the time, and hang out her shingle when she wants to feel needed. Minimalist in background detail but highly expressive in character, scribbly full-color vignettes by Ebert (Hello World!) channel the quirky, mischievous energy of Hilary Knight's work. Ages 4--7. Author's agent: Lauren Galit, LKG Agency. Illustrator's agent: Jennifer March Soloway, Andrea Brown Literary. (Feb.)

Balancing a desire to read with sudden popularity can be tough. Regina Grey is used to not being noticed. In fact, it means she can do more of what she loves: read, which she's very good at, unlike the many things she doesn't excel at: math, spelling, gym. But her invisibility disappears when she solves a few problems for other kids on the playground. Suddenly, she's the much-sought-after Recess Genius. But while it feels nice to be good at something, she no longer has time to pore over her books, and that's a problem for Regina. Giving bad advice backfires, and closing her business and reverting to invisibility fails to make her happy. Introverts and those who love them may be unsatisfied by Regina's solution, an all-or-nothing one with no nuances or room for Regina to choose daily what she will do. Blond pigtailed Regina sports a black bow in her hair, making her easy to spot in the illustrations, but it's not always easy to parse what's going on in them. An overhead view of a baseball game in gym class may be unrecognizable to young readers. And a tiny vignette of Regina seemingly poking a child with a stick may also puzzle those who fail to recognize the cast on their arm (the stick is Regina's clever way of helping the kid scratch an itch). The schoolchildren are diverse in skin tone but otherwise homogeneous. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A disappointing bookworm/introvert--turned--problem-solver/extrovert tale. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.