{"id":38431,"date":"2020-10-22T22:57:04","date_gmt":"2020-10-23T02:57:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=38431"},"modified":"2020-10-22T22:57:04","modified_gmt":"2020-10-23T02:57:04","slug":"review-of-evelyn-del-rey-is-moving-away-by-meg-medina-illustrated-by-sonia-sanchez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=38431","title":{"rendered":"Review of Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away, by Meg Medina, illustrated by Sonia S\u00e1nchez"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away<\/em><\/p>\n

by Meg Medina
\nillustrated by Sonia S\u00e1nchez<\/p>\n

Candlewick Press, 2020. 32 pages.
\nReview written September 23, 2020, from a library book
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

Full disclosure: I was privileged to be on the Newbery committee that chose Meg Medina\u2019s book Merci Suarez Changes Gears<\/a><\/em> as our winner and thus changed her life forever. After an amazing dinner with her and with the rest of the committee and our big celebrations together, she has a special place in my heart and I will always think of her as a friend. So I was predisposed to love this book.<\/p>\n

Though at the same time, I have read a zillion picture books about a child moving away or arriving in a new place, so I wasn\u2019t completely sure this one would stand out. And since I only review a small percentage of the picture books I read, I thought I could just quietly enjoy this book and let it go by without notice.<\/p>\n

But this book is marvelous. I am confident I would love it even if I didn\u2019t already love the author. And let me also add that the illustrations are stunning \u2013 and I have no connection to the illustrator, so there\u2019s clearly no bias there. I’ve read the book a few times, and each time the words and pictures go straight to my heart.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how the book begins:<\/p>\n

Evelyn Del Rey is my mejor amiga, my n\u00famero uno best friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome play, Daniela,\u201d she says, just like she always does.<\/p>\n

Just like today is any other day.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The two girls are pictured with different shades of dark skin. Evelyn is peeking in the window of the apartment. On the next page, we see a big truck with boxes ready to go inside surrounded by bright orange and yellow fall leaves \u2013 still on the trees, but also on the street and on the sidewalk. Some of the items ready for the truck are named in the text \u2013 \u201cEvelyn\u2019s mirror with the stickers around the edge, her easel for painting on rainy days, and the sofa that we bounce on to get to the moon.\u201d<\/p>\n

The painting is so evocative of a dark and damp day in late Autumn, still with dazzling leaves, and Daniela has lonely eyes as she looks at Evelyn\u2019s things, ready to go.<\/p>\n

But that changes when she gets inside, with Evelyn waiting for her. We see the girls running upstairs with grins on their faces.<\/p>\n

We learn that the girls\u2019 apartments are mostly the same except for things like the color of paint and the furniture, just like the girls are mostly the same. But as Daniela talks about what a great friend Evelyn is, we see packing going on behind them and around them.<\/p>\n

We find a still-empty box near the door. In no time, I am a bus driver steering us all over the city. We play until the tables that were bus stops are gone and the beds that were skyscrapers have vanished, too.<\/p>\n

When we look around, everything has disappeared except us.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They make plans to talk every day after school, to visit in the summer, but Daniela knows it won\u2019t be the same.<\/p>\n

And it turns out not everything is gone. Daniela sees some sparkly stickers in a corner, and they wear them on their cheeks as they say good-by.<\/p>\n

Finally as the actual good-by happens, the girls\u2019 faces crumple. Their mothers try to comfort them, though Daniela knows that Evelyn will always be \u201cmy first mejor amiga, my n\u00famero uno best friend\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

And where tears came to my own eyes was when I turned to the last page and saw a much older adult Daniela smiling and looking through a box of letters containing a picture of Evelyn, with the words:<\/p>\n

the one I will always know by heart.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

My own best friend moved away after sixth grade. And yes, we are still best friends today. In fact, when I was 42 years old, I moved to the town where she lives, on the other side of the country from where we were friends as children.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve read quite a few books lately about kids who have moved to a new town and have to face that their old friendships have dissolved. So I actually wasn\u2019t prepared to see in this story a friendship like the ones I\u2019ve been privileged to have \u2013 friendship that sustains you for your entire life.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s to friends we know by heart.<\/p>\n

candlewick.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Picture_Books\/evelyn_del_rey_is_moving_away.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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