In this installment of Too Small Tola, Tola, her family, and neighbors return to their apartments after the  COVID-19 lockdowns.  This early chapter book is broken into three separate sections.  In the first, Tola is being ridiculed by classmates who don’t believe she worked as a house girl for a famous Nigerian singer during the pandemic.  As she deals with this disappointment, she devises a creative solution to help her elderly neighbor, Mrs. Shaky-Shaky, who no longer has the strength to climb the stairs to her room.  The second chapter describes the vacation Tola and her gram take to a litter-strewn beach.  The final chapter pulls everything together when the famous singer releases a song with Tola’s name in it!  Tola has learned about friendship and making mistakes and prepares to forgive her peers who apologize, though she is careful not to be too trusting of them in the future.  

Like the other books in this series,  this book addresses important and relevant topics in a straightforward, kid-friendly way.  Poverty, the pandemic, and aging are mentioned, but they are not the focus of Tola’s story.  Instead, themes of love, community, and resilience emerge and will stay with the readers long after they finish reading.  This book would be great for elementary schools or public libraries, especially if they already have the other books in this series. Black and white drawings break up the text, making it ideal for new chapter book readers.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library