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A review by daumari
Meet Isabel and Nicki by Julia DeVillers
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5. I'm taking a break from sad sword boys to quickly read this before I open the twins Christmas Eve in the 2024 American Girl advent calendar because I didn't know much about them.
While the traditional series took place over the course of about a year generally, Meet Isabel and Nikki is truly a December story so it's very seasonal to read now! When they debuted last year, I joined the millennials having an existential crisis because *I was nine* in 1999 and therefore the same age as these characters. Husband pointed out that this would be historical for our infant daughter so... fine. I remember participating in family friendly activities around town NYE and my brother got interviewed on local news, lol. I haven't read any other books by the twin authors, but I do remember the Disney Channel Original Movie "Read It and Weep", which was an adaptation of one of the authors' books.
Cynically, the brand names that pop up felt intrusive even though I do agree that maybe we were a heavily advertised-to generation (not sure I ever actually had a Baby Bottle Pop tbh). The Hoffman twins live in Seattle, and their dad is a former grunge band member who runs a coffee shop while Mom works in programming trying to prevent Y2K. The stakes are kinda low but the girls make new friends as they go through their Y2K goal list. I'm curious how this reads to an actual middle grader, as to me it feels like a member berry session (hey, remember that episode...?) but learning to make new friends and try new things are timeless.
I initially thought, "wow, seems kind of late for Isabel to be super in to the Spice Girls" but that's pointedly addressed by her friend rift when they prefer N'Sync to Isabel (honestly let's call it mini nostalgia)'s old tunes.
Asian spotting: mean girl fifth grader Cammy is drawn Asian, and Nikki's new skating friend Ari Lin is probably an ABC like me. I'm glad they're present in a story set in the PNW, at least.
While the traditional series took place over the course of about a year generally, Meet Isabel and Nikki is truly a December story so it's very seasonal to read now! When they debuted last year, I joined the millennials having an existential crisis because *I was nine* in 1999 and therefore the same age as these characters. Husband pointed out that this would be historical for our infant daughter so... fine. I remember participating in family friendly activities around town NYE and my brother got interviewed on local news, lol. I haven't read any other books by the twin authors, but I do remember the Disney Channel Original Movie "Read It and Weep", which was an adaptation of one of the authors' books.
Cynically, the brand names that pop up felt intrusive even though I do agree that maybe we were a heavily advertised-to generation (not sure I ever actually had a Baby Bottle Pop tbh). The Hoffman twins live in Seattle, and their dad is a former grunge band member who runs a coffee shop while Mom works in programming trying to prevent Y2K. The stakes are kinda low but the girls make new friends as they go through their Y2K goal list. I'm curious how this reads to an actual middle grader, as to me it feels like a member berry session (hey, remember that episode...?) but learning to make new friends and try new things are timeless.
I initially thought, "wow, seems kind of late for Isabel to be super in to the Spice Girls" but that's pointedly addressed by her friend rift when they prefer N'Sync to Isabel (honestly let's call it mini nostalgia)'s old tunes.
Asian spotting: mean girl fifth grader Cammy is drawn Asian, and Nikki's new skating friend Ari Lin is probably an ABC like me. I'm glad they're present in a story set in the PNW, at least.