Only Only Marisol Rainey

Maybe Marisol #3

by Erin Entrada Kelly

When a neighbor’s big, scary dog goes missing, it seems like only Marisol is worried he’s up to no good. But is there more to this lost-dog story than meets the eye? From Newbery Medal– and Newbery Honor–winning author Erin Entrada Kelly, Only Only Marisol Rainey is a highly illustrated young middle-grade novel about friendship, facing your fears, and the power of compassion, friendship, and empathy. This stand-alone companion to Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey and Surely Surely Marisol Rainey is perfect for fans of Ivy + Bean , Merci Suárez, and Ramona.   A dangerous beast is on the loose in Marisol Rainey's neighborhood! At least, Marisol thinks it’s a dangerous beast. She's never actually met the neighbor’s dog officially, but surely a big German shepherd can’t be anything else. That’s why she and her BFF Jada nicknamed him “Daggers.” When the Missing Dog posters around town reveal that his real name is Gregory, Marisol's fears don’t ease up one bit. He may be Gregory at home, but when he’s freely roaming the neighborhood with nothing to hold him back, he’s Daggers and nothing else. When Marisol tries to sleep, the image of Daggers and his sharp teeth comes to mind. Marisol doesn't even want to ride her bike anymore. What if Daggers leaps out of the bushes, knocks her over, and eats her? She feels like she can’t rest until she knows Daggers has been returned to her neighbor’s backyard. Strangely, no one else seems all that concerned for their safety. Only Marisol. Is Daggers big and super scary looking? Maybe . Is Marisol afraid? Surely . Will she eventually learn that there’s more to Daggers than meets the eye? Only if she faces her fears. Only Only Marisol Rainey is told in short chapters with illustrations by the author on almost every page, making it perfect for readers ready for a short and accessible novel. Erin Entrada Kelly’s stand-alone companion to Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey and Surely Surely Marisol Rainey celebrates the small but mighty Marisol, the joys of friendship, the power of compassion, and the triumph of persevering. For readers of Kevin Henkes, Andrew Clements, Judy Blume, and Beverly Cleary.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Friendship, Fiction, Audiobook, Childrens, Family

160 pages, Hardcover

Published May 2, 2023

About the author

Author of books for young people.

Reviews

[Cam (Lana Belova) · Rating 5 out of 5]

 
"Marisol loves the way the Louisiana breeze feels on her face as she glides down the streets. She loves her neighborhood. Her best friend, Jada George, lives nearby. Her other friend, Felix, isn’t far, either. Most of the streets are named for flowers or trees.  Marisol and Jada have a favorite route for bike riding. Down Oak, right on Lily, then right on Rose. Breeze blowing, tires rolling pleasantly across the cement, the hot sun on their skin. The oak trees tower above them and make shadows on the sidewalk."

It is a lovely book with all the summery feels, forming a mental picture lighting up the mood bright, bright :)


Ornamental Mulberry tree. This pic reminds my childhood cozy neighborhood when I was a preschooler :)

I liked Felix right away, and it seems like he has a natural talent not only for sensing what animals are saying, but for biking, too!


Marisol is such a brave girl, I admired her staying calm when she finally met "Daggers", a dangerous dog (from her and Jada's point of view).
I knew that Evie wasn't that bad after all and maybe she and Marisol would become friends eventually. Marisol gone through the maze of emotions and decisions to make, coming out stronger than ever. I, once again, admired Marisol's gesture towards Evie, and her being such a good friend to Felix, too! I loved the image of Sprinkles, it reminded me of this cute little giraffe I, some years ago, bought on impulse and named Vasilissa, she comes with the memories attached because of a special place I visited.



Art by Erin Entrada Kelly

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marisol Rainey is one of my favorite characters in kidlit. She’s relatable and interesting! She’s navigating life and her fears and worries and shows readers how to approach similar situations. She makes readers feel they are not alone in what they are experiencing. This is her third adventure and I’ve loved all three. Every time I read one, I think how wonderful they would work as a read aloud or a book club title. So much worth discussing whether it’s a small group of students or a whole class. Erin Entrada Kelly’s storytelling is superb! Charming, delightful, and full of heart! Now what kind of dog would a book with those descriptors be?

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story with lots of good lessons

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Erin Entrada Kelly's writing and I adore Marisol. It was so fun to revisit this adorable girl, her friends and family and her quirks and fears. I love reading the way the people in Marisol's circle help her navigate life and I love the way she is brave despite anxiety. This book has the humor and heart I've grown to expect in the Marisol Rainey books. I enthusiastically recommend this series to students in my library!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for the advanced reader copy of this book. I've now purchased it for my elementary library!

[Susan Metallo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book in order to write this review.

Third in the Marisol Rainey series, Erin Entrada Kelly's latest is as charming, funny, and uplifting as its predecessors. Marisol's emotions rise to the surface in simple, honest prose that invites connections and giggles at the warm humor and expressive illustrations. I'd recommend this one to younger middle grade and chapter book readers, fans of Ramona Quimby, Clementine, and Jada Jones.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Marisol is a fun character and her experiences are so relatable for young readers. This is book three in the series but don't worry if you haven't read the first two books. You can read them in any order!
I could relate to Book 3 because of Daggers, or Gregory, the neighborhood dog! Marisol is terrified of big dogs, and Gregory is big and apparently on the loose! How can Marisol relax and enjoy riding her bike with her friends when a wild beast could attack at any moment? Have you ever been afraid of dogs? So many children have a fear of dogs and reading how Marisol faces her fear can be very helpful.
My favorite theme from this book was the focus on how important Marisol's friends are and how she wants to help them . She works with Felix as he struggles to learn to ride a bike and even gets him his own bike.
This early chapter book is a great addition to any beginning reader's library. Great illustrations add to the engagement.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delighted to get to read this third installment in the Marisol Rainey series for independent readers. An honest portrayal of anxiety while maintaining the sweetness of childhood. Illustrated by the author.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marisol Rainey has a problem. Daggers has gotten loose. He’s the big dog who lives on her favorite bicycle route. She love to ride her bike, Ginny, with her best friend Jada and her bike, Bunny, around the neighborhood. But one house has a fence and on the other side of the fence is a big dog that Marisol thinks of as Daggers.

Only, he’s not behind his fence anymore. There are posters up around the neighborhood that says that he’s missing. And that his name is Gregory. And that he’s friendly. But just because he’s friendly to the people who own him doesn’t mean he’ll be friendly to everyone. It doesn’t mean he’ll be friendly to Marisol.

Marisol decides to try their friend Felix. Felix says he can communicate with animals. Maybe she can get Felix to talk to Gregory. She asks him, and he says he’ll try but it may not work if Gregory is not in the same place as he is. But Marisol promises to teach him how to ride a bike in exchange for his trying to talk to Gregory.

But Felix has trouble learning to ride his bike. And even with Felix trying to talk to Gregory, Marisol is still scared of him. And then Jada starts acting like she’s unhappy with Felix, or maybe with Marisol, and Marisol doesn’t know why. Will she be able to figure out how to deal with her fears and help her friends out?

One thing that helps Marisol is to learn more about dogs. While German shepherds are big, her mother also points out that they are known for being loyal, courageous, and confident. Marisol points out that she’s not like a German shepherd, because even though she’s loyal, she doesn’t feel courageous or confident. So her mother does some research on her phone and finds out that Marisol is like a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, sweet, gentle, and affectionate.

Like Marisol herself, this book is sweet, gentle, and affectionate. Author Erin Entrada Kelly brings Marisol to life with gentle adventures that help readers deal with their own anxieties and challenges. In Only, Only Marisol Rainey, Marisol has to face her questions about her fears, her friendships, and the possibility of falling. These are big topics, but Marisol brings her thoughtfulness and awareness to the situations as best she can, and she knows to ask her mom and dad for help when she feels like she’s in over her head.

I love Marisol for her big heart and her curious mind, and I think she will appeal to young readers who worry about asking too many questions or about how their friends are feeling or about big dogs or about trying teach someone how to ride a bike when you don’t know how to teach someone how to ride a bike. It’s her sweetness and sensitivity that brings so much to her stories, and even as an adult reading the Marisol Rainey books, I find myself comforted by how much she cares. The world is better for having Marisol in it, and the readers who share in her stories are better for it too.

Egalleys for Only, Only Marisol Rainey were provided by HarperCollins Children’s Books through NetGaley, with many thanks.

[Sam Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only, Only Marisol Rainey is a delightful book about an anxious young girl named Marisol who is always contemplating the ‘what ifs’ of life. Her fears can sometimes run away with her and cause her overwhelming distress. One of Marisol’s biggest fears is of a large dog she has nicknamed ‘Daggers.’ Marisol worries that ‘Daggers’ might eat her. Throughout the book, Marisol continues to work through her fears and becomes confident to deal with her anxiety.

Additionally, Marisol is also a kind and compassionate friend who is always looking for ways to help others. Marisol found a way to obtain a bicycle for her friend Felix and taught him how to ride in order that he could join herself and Jada in their bike riding adventures. Simultaneously, she helped Jada resolve her jealously of Felix so that they could all be friends. When Daggers (Gregory) runs away, Marisol finds him and returns him to his owners. Thereafter, she and her friends visited Gregory frequently so that he could spend more time outside.

Marisol is a relatable character that the author cleverly uses to empower the reader in solving their own difficulties.

I loved this book and look forward to reading more children’s books by this author. I also adore the illustrations as they remind me of some of my childhood books.

The best place for this book would be on every child’s, grandparents, and elementary school bookshelf.

I received this advanced reader’s copy from the Author/Illustrator Erin Entrada Kelly, Harper Collins Publisher, and NetGalley. This is a voluntary review, and all comments and opinions are entirely my own.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marisol Rainey is anxious, although she doesn't know that's the word for it. Her brain is constantly spinning with questions and worries, and when a neighbor's German shepherd gets loose, she very nearly goes into overdrive. How is she supposed to focus on riding bikes with her best friend Jana or teaching her other friend Felix how to ride a bike with them if the dog she privately calls "Daggers" is on the loose?

Kelly does an admirable job showing us how Marisol copes with her fear and anxiety as she also deals with social problems (Jana's jealous of Felix, for example). It starts slowly, with Marisol learning to think of "Daggers" by his real name, Gregory, and what the right questions are to ask in order to help her to cope with him being potentially around every corner. The social issues are likewise handled delicately, showing us without spelling things out so that young readers can figure things out on their own, which is very important for the age group. The illustrations, which are cute and frequent, also provide more information, such as how to approach a dog you don't know or what Marisol's spinning thoughts feel like to her.

Concerned readers should know that everything does end well, vis a vis Gregory, and the ending promises us more adventures with Marisol. That's something to look forward to - this isn't as involved as Kelly's middle grade novels, but it carries her trademark sensitivity and attention to detail.

[Josephine Sorrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only Only Marisol Rainey is the third book in the series and reads as a stand-alone.

In the previous books, Marisol has always had a healthy fear of the big German Shephard that lives nearby. Marisol is in the habit of naming things around her and calls him Daggers. She and her friend, Jada try to avoid riding bikes too close to Daggers, or making eye contact with him, out of fear he may one day attack.
In this book she learns from a lost dog poster that his name is really, Gregory. Gregory got out of his yard and Marisol is very concerned that she'll run into him. She seems to think this dog is out to eat her.
In the meantime she is teaching a friend named Felix how to ride a bike. Felix lives with his grandmama who doesn’t know how to ride a bike either. Well Marisol finds the task harder than she thought. And when Felix loses his will to keep trying Marisol gets a brilliant idea and carries it out to perfection.
Oh yes, and she does come face to face with Daggers/Gregory.

Great series for young readers as they view Marisol helping a friend and facing her biggest fears!

[Hope Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marisol is back, and this time she is teaching her friend Felix how to ride a bike, so he can go on adventures with her and her best friend, Jada. In addition to trying to be include a friend, Marisol deals with Jada's jealousy of Marisol's attention to Felix.

I adore the Marisol Rainey books for my new chapter book readers! Marisol is a sweet, thoughtful little girl with problems and anxieties that many kids face. Throughout this series, I've been enormously impressed with Erin Entrada Kelly's understanding and handling of young children's anxieties, fears and worries. I love the multiple ethnicities, backgrounds, and family units depicted in this series as well. This is an excellent series for new chapter book readers and fans of the Junie B. Jones, Kylie Jean, or Clementine series of books. Great investment for elementary school libraries.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

While we spend time with Marisol and friends Jada and Felix in this new chapter book, readers also come away with some tips on skills they might not have mastered yet:
1) Riding a bike
2) Relating to strange dogs
3) Being a good friend
There are some heartwarming moments as the kids spend summer days around their neighborhood and each others yards. Most kids will find something to relate to in Marisol's third book and the illustrations are simply delightful. I found out that Marisol eats her corn flakes the same way I did as a kid. You pour sugar on the corn flakes and it falls to the bottom of the bowl, giving you a sweet treat at the end. Not the healthiest of practices, I know, but a memory I have from my childhood. Have you met Marisol yet?

[Nikki Ruzick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 3 of a series and have not read the other 2, no need to read them out of order.

Marisol and her two friends are kind and wholesome kids, those whom you would want your own children to hang out with. This is an early chapter book about overcoming some fears/obstacles in young children's lives. Without giving too much away think, scared of dogs and learning to ride bikes.

I will definitely be adding this book and the other two to my elementary school library collection. Such a cute story. Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Bonni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marisol Rainey is sensitive, inquisitive, thoughtful, and introspective. I like that the reader gets to know what she's thinking, but she doesn't readily share with everybody else, so it causes some conflict. I also like how observant she is of other people and wonders how they might be feeling. This book is also evidence that non-stop action isn't necessary to get readers engaged. The emotional connection, tension, and stakes pull the reader from page to page. The illustrations are an added bonus for reluctant readers who need a little motivation to get to the next page.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Marisol Rainey! She worries a lot. In this story she is worrying about a neighborhood dog that is missing. It is a big dog and Marisol has convinced herself that the dog will attack her if she sees it in the neighborhood. Her mother does a great job of walking her through strategies to help her with this fear. Her neighborhood friends add a friendship element to the story as her closest friend works through some jealousy when a third neighbor is added to their adventures. This series is a must have for my library.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like the first book in the series, this one was super cute. Marisol is relatable and has fears and experiences that are pretty universal. I think readers will surely see themselves in Marisol and her friends. I took off one star for a bit of confusion as to the focus of the book. At times I wasn’t sure if the focus was Marisol’s fear of Daggers the dog, teaching Felix how to ride a bike, or Jada’s worries about being replaced as Marisol’s friend. For a short book there was a lot going on, but I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a good nice story.

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did I not know about Marisol Rainey?? What a fun-loving, cute character.

The third book in the Marisol Rainey series, Only, Only Marisol Rainey is a delightful story of the compassion and empathy of a little girl. Not only does Marisol show compassion and empathy towards her friends, but despite her fears, she shows it towards pets as well.

I will be adding this series to my classroom bookshelf!

[Laurie Hnatiuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything about Marisol and this new series. Marisol is such a fresh and relatable new character in children's lit. In the third book of the series (no need to read in order), Marisol continues to tackle new problems while showing compassion to help her friends. A delightful series that is perfect for younger readers to build confidence and stamina and allows readers to transition to longer novels.

[Gina Notes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This is the third book in the Marisol series and we enjoyed this one via audio on our road trip to vacation this week. This one had a very heavy dog theme starting with the scary dog next door she named “Daggers” and the theme carried through the book. Marisol wears her heart on her sleeve and is very vocal about her fears and her interests. She’s a very relatable child character and my kids enjoyed her very much. It was a quick, entertaining listen.

[Amandasaved · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC of "Only Marisol Rainey" in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the over all story of this girl Marisol and her dog. I thought it was a good chapter book for newer readers. It was the kind of story that my daughter would love. In addition, something about the story reminded me of the series "Baby-sitters Little Sister." I think it was because of the tone of voice used in the story.

The things that took me out of the story, and dropped it from a 5 star book to the 3 stars I am giving it are the following:

-The writing being in 3rd person.
- The writing being in the present tense.

Not to be overly critical but when a book is in 3rd person I expect that the actions described would be in the past tense not the present. The only time I enjoy books in the present tense is if the first person us the narrator.

It is a small distraction, and perhaps other will appreciate this POV more than I. It won't detract me from reading further in the series, but it will keep me from say, pre-ordering this book.

Thanks for the opportunity to read, this was my honest review.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marisol conquers her fear of dogs as well as helping Felix learn to ride a bike and face his fears too. Jada has to work on her jealousy when the three of them are together.
I appreciate how the author continues to share insights into her characters. Mid elementary level readers will connect with them and relate to their lives.

[Maiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marisol will forever be one of my favorite kidlit characters. and Kelly was born to write kids books. I am always in awe of how she knows exactly how to word things in ways that transport me to the time I was a kid. I felt the same feelings and thought the same things as these characters- she’s magic.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect.

p. 30: Marisol isn't sure what "frankly" means exactly, but it sounds very grown-up at the beginning of a sentence.

p. 36: Sometimes she feels like the only one in the whole world who worries.

p. 65: After all, she can't control what Gregory does. But she CAN control what she - Marisol - does.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book about Marisol Rainey. Though it would help to know the characters from the earlier books this story stands on it’s own. The focus is on conquering a fear, sharing a skill with a friend and friendship. With short chapters and plenty of illustrations this is a very accessible chapter book for emerging readers.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this series of books. They are so perfect for early chapter book readers. In book three, Marisol is scared of a neighborhood dog who has gone missing and is trying to teach her friend Felix how to ride a bike, which causes conflict with Jada.

[Charity Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read book three of this series without realizing there were two earlier books, so that might explain why it took me a little while to get into the story. Still, I liked the way Erin Entrada Kelly developed her characters and explored themes of friendship, courage, and family. I'm looking forward to going back to read this first two books to learn more about Marisol and her friends.

[Muhammad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite book from the series. My favourite parts were when:
1) She gets nervous and her brother teaches her how to play kickball. I thought this because her brother is not always kind but here he was.
2) She made it to the first plate and her brother congratulated her.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for children who are trying to overcome a fear, especially fear of dogs.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

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