WEEKEND WITH A FASHIONISTA is part of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) series of titles, “If Not You, Then Who?”. Authors David and Emberli Pridham and illustrator Nadia Ronquillo deliver a handsome book that is illuminating for budding inventors and designers, if a little short on plot. The story centers around Brooke, who wakes up one morning energized for a train journey to New York City for the weekend, where she will meet Delfi, her older, fashion-obsessed cousin. Once Brooke arrives, she goes shopping and comes into contact with the designs of Coco Chanel, Vera Wang, and Lilly Pulitzer, and observes as Delfi settles into her new job as a design assistant. At regular intervals, there are pages of facts devoted to a particular fashion development, such as the creation of sunglasses, the invention of Velcro, or the advent of nylon as a fashion material. Ronquillo’s illustrations are colorful, neat and functional, and the book’s presentation as a whole is of a high standard.
As befits a book that is part of a series that takes empowerment as one of its main themes, the emphasis on innovation is very much to the fore – such aspects of the creative process as patenting are emphasized, and gets its own page at the book’s conclusion. The concept of intellectual property even gets a mention. Inasmuch as the book’s raison d’être is to foster the entrepreneurial spirit among young readers, this is understandable. An important adjunct in this respect is the reference to the authors’ Young Inventors Club, whose purpose it is to inspire with stories of how certain inventions came to be, the lives of famous inventors, and so on. The story itself, however, is rather lacking in tension or action. The climax, Delfi’s appearance in the final of a design competition, is not as resounding as it might be, and one feels an underlying message about the importance of being persistent (Delfi only manages the runner’s-up spot) almost, but not quite, landing. However, WEEKEND WITH A FASHIONISTA has enough plus points to be of definite interest to middle graders with a burgeoning interest in fashion.
With an assist by illustrator Nadia Ronquillo, David and Emberli Pridham’s WEEKEND WITH A FASHIONISTA combines the educational with the aspirational with the aim of inspiring young children to greater things.
~Craig Jones for IndieReader