The New Friend Fix

Catalina Incognito #2

by Jennifer Torres, Gladys Jose (Illustrator)

One Day at a Time meets Mindy Kim in this second book in a charming new chapter book series about Catalina Castaneda, a Mexican American girl with a magical sewing kit who tries to befriend the new girl at school.

Catalina is excited to find out a new student, Esmeralda, has joined her third-grade class at Valle Grande Elementary School. But despite Catalina’s attempts to introduce herself, Esme won’t talk to anyone but her own cousin, Jazmín. Could Jazmín be keeping Esme from making new friends?

According to Catalina’s frenemy Pablo, it’s just like what happened to the secret princess in the telenovela hit The Hidden Crown! With Tía Abuela’s magical sewing kit, Catalina sets out to create a disguise to unravel the mystery.

Genres: Fantasy, Latinx, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

Published March 22, 2022

Reviews

[Em*Greedy* (Iniya) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little read

[Margaret Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

6/22/2022 ~ I'm really enjoying the Catalina Incognito books. Just the right blend of friendship, creativity, and problem solving, with a bit of magic thrown in. This is, however, one of those very annoying books to categorize in a genrefied elementary library collection. Technically, it's fantasy, given the magical disguises Catalina and her Tia Abuela can make. However, most of the story is solidly set in a typical classroom with an interesting collection of characters - a setting that feels very realistic.

In this volume, Catalina and her friend/rival Pablo come to understand that they can seem very intense and critical when they interact with classmates; traits that they learn to tone down as they gain insights into others' perceptions of them. A great read-aloud for developing empathy.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute blend of school/friendship and slight fantasy--Catalina can disguise herself as a cat with a hoodie her great aunt made, so she can slink around and spy on people. In this second book in the series, she wants to befriend a new classmate, Esme, but Esme's cousin Jazmin blocks her and Pedro's efforts. Eventually they find out that they'd hurt Jazmin's feelings when they corrected her dino diorama the year before.
She's learning to sew, so I sense another disguise in the future.
Spanish words and culture mixed in naturally.
#1 is simply Catalina Incognito

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young me would have agreed with adult me that this is even better than the first book. The magic is de-emphasized, but still there. The storyline is not predictable or cliched. The characters are a lot of fun. The happy ending makes sense. And Cat & Pablo learn a bit about how it can annoy other people when they're too quisquillosa.

These two books were an impulse grab at the library. I didn't expect too much, but was curious. But now that I've read them, I want the rest of the series!