“I won’t share ’cuz it’s not fair!” is nine-year-old Isabella
Speedwalker-Juarez’s motto. It’s all because she’s stuck in a room
with her toddler brother, Dozer. Mom says Izzy has to adapt to
Granny’s tiny trailer, where they’ve just moved because money
is tight and Mom is worried about losing her job at the gum
factory. Izzy knows what will make everything better – an
above-ground pool. She’ll swim in it for hours, and she won’t
share it with anyone, not even her new classmates or her friend
Deborah Nibblebitz-Fifer. With help from Zachary O’Toole, the
neighborhood handyman – and from Deborah – Izzy plans to
hold a car wash to raise money. But when things finally start
to go her way, a tornado damages the neighborhood, and Izzy
begins to rethink her motto.
Sparkling illustrations and a large dose of warmhearted humor
make Isabella’s dilemma – and change of heart – easily
identifiable to young readers everywhere.
