Lola Reyes is So Not Worried

by Cindy L. Rodriguez

Publisher: HarperCollins

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, Contemporary

Originally Published: September 17, 2024

ISBN: 9780063276819

Official Summary:

“Perfect for fans of The Doll People and The Total Eclipse of Nester Lopez, a Guatemalan American girl fights to stop her cursed worry dolls before they blanket her friends and neighbors in anxiety—and the grief she carries over the loss of her father—in this magical middle grade adventure by Cindy L. Rodriguez.

Lola Reyes doesn’t want to leave Guatemala, a place full of warmth and sun, laughter and music—where her abuela and prima and tíos and tías surround her with love. Back in Sunnyside, it’s cold. There’s schoolwork and chores. And her mama transforms into Lola’s super-serious school principal, Dr. Reyes.

Back at home… Lola can see, crystal clear, the empty place where Pop used to be. So Lola decides to bring a little bit of Guatemala—and Pop—back with her. She discovers his box of childhood worry dolls and sneaks them into her luggage, ignoring the warnings on the box not to use them. Later, when she tells them all her worries, from her friendship woes to the way Mama won’t talk about how sad she is, the worry dolls come to life! Worse—they escape!

Lola has to enlist her neighbor and nemesis, Chance Townsend, to recapture the dolls because she discovers they’re cursed! And as they absorb worries, they’ll grow bigger and bigger. If Lola can’t find a way to stop them, they’ll burst, releasing all the worries they’ve absorbed a hundredfold on everyone in town! But when breaking the curse might mean confronting her own anxieties and grief, will Lola be able face her emotions before it’s too late?“

–cindylrodriguez.com

Thank you to Hear Our Voices and HarperCollins for the free ARC  in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars for Lola Reyes!

If you like stories about…

Friendship, Family and Latinx Culture

that deals with…

Grief and Mischievous Magic

then this book is a MUST READ!

My book playlist for “Lola Vibes”.

Lola is a spunky and hilarious 5th grader who is just trying her best.

It’s a new school year and things are different now that her father has passed away. It’s the little things like pancakes on the first day of school or Marvel movie marathons that Lola misses the most.  These little things start to add up and suddenly the worry dolls Lola brought home from her summer trip to Guatemala look like a good idea. Despite the warning on the box that the dolls are cursed, Lola confides to one doll all of her worries; bringing to life the dolls and a new batch of worries.

From the first song to the last I thought about my emotions as I read. I then looked for songs that  reflected themes from the book: growing up & expressing yourself.

The first song, the instrumental version of “Remember Me”, I featured because of Lola’s father passing playing such a huge role in her story. I featured it without the lyrics as I was still trying to get a general vibe for the story and I thought the guitar would be a good base.

Next on the playlist is the song, “Wildflowers”; when Lola and her cousin are playing hide-and-seek I thought back to my childhood and the wanderlust energy we had.

Gradually as I read more I discovered that Lola’s Pop was a fan of rock music! Which lead to a lot of rock pop songs on the playlist. One of them was recommended to me by my boyfriend, he suggested, “Second & Sebring”. He suggested it after I explained how Lola is experiencing grief from the passing of her father. The artist of the song wrote this song after the passing of their mother. I saw it as a great song to express the grief that Lola was feeling as well as honor the taste in music her Pop liked.

What I love about this story…

In “Lola Reyes is So Not Worried” there is the theme about facing your emotions. I think a lot of us have been taught to hold back our emotions. We’re told that big emotions are too much to handle. We can only be happy because that’s easier to handle. BUT in Lola’s story we have lines like:

” Chance adds, ‘ Seriously, though, your feelings are real and valid. And yeah, you’ll get over it, but right now you’re in it ‘ ” (Rodriguez 127).

Demonstrating just how important it is to feel your emotions and talk about your emotions. This lead to multiple songs on the playlist, but especially Demi Lovato’s “OK Not To Be Ok”.

I just imagined this song being Lolas anthem, as she learns how its okay to be upset and to talk things through.

Considering the young audience who are reading Lola’s story it’s crucial for them to understand that it is okay to not be okay. To read about a characters journey and how they process their emotions is a great  foundation for young readers emotional intelligence. As a mother I love this and I know younger me would’ve loved it too; especially because Lola herself is so relatable!

A lot of care is written into Lola’s character making her to be well developed and relatable.

I loved reading about her journey; how she grows through the story from making new friends to facing her emotions. Her bond that grows between herself and her “nemesis” was my favorite. It gave us lines like:

” I could say ‘ Whatever,’ like you do when you’re wrong and can’t admit it, but I’m going to say what should be said. Listen carefully and notice how easy it is: you’re right.‘

He smiles wide and flicks his shaggy hair.

‘ We’re not enemies,’ I confirm. ‘ I’m sorry. ‘

He raises his eyebrows and asks, ‘So friends?’

I put up my hand and, with a laugh, say, ‘Whoa, one step at a time’

(Rodriguez 103).”

It’s moments like these that won my heart and had me laughing. There were also  times when Chance really surprised Lola because he was so kind to her when she only ever saw him as her enemy, but he proves how he could be one her best friends because he stands by her and all the craziness. Which lead to this this song choice:

It was absolutely adorable to read as their friendship blossomed. I really think the best parts of the book are Chance and Lolas friendship.

“Lola Reyes is So Not Worried” is the perfect pick me up book. That will bring a smile to your face and warmth to your heart.

I hope you like my song choices. Let me know if there’s a song that I should add!