Sandwiched between 128 practice questions and their answers is Belen Medina’s sweet story of a girl who helps her abuela study for the US citizenship test and ultimately become a citizen. Anita is always ready to help her abuela, whether at home, in the neighborhood, at the market, or even at the bakery. Wherever they go, she peppers her grandmother with practice questions for the US citizenship test – and Abuela answers every single one correctly. These are the same questions that readers can pore over in the endpapers of the book, which opens with 128 real USCIS practice questions for the citizenship test, and concludes with the corresponding answers. Finally, Abuela is ready to take the test, going in to the interview alone. Here Medina (Emilia Wishing, 2026) includes the lightest of indications that the process of becoming a US citizen is not always quite as straightforward and fair as answering test questions correctly, as Anita worries that Abuela’s accent will be scrutinized by her interviewer. “’Speak English please,’ others often instruct Abuela.”

But today fairness and persistence prevail! Abuela passes, and the glistening tears in her eyes effectively show the emotional weight of this moment. Heidi Moreno’s gentle rounded illustrations created from guache, colored pencils, and wax crayon underscore the sweetness of Anita and Abuela’s bond and the warmth of this major milestone. The author’s note and dedication reveal that the story is inspired by Medina’s grandmother, who became a US citizen after living in the states for 50 years. Spanish words are scattered throughout, indicating that the family is Latine. A warm hug celebrating persistence, family, and citizenship. A fantastic pairing with Leo’s First Vote by Christina Soontornvat and Some of Us by Rajani Larocca.

Reviewed by Carolyn Gallmeyer, Lithgow Public Library, Augusta