Release: January 5th, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Amazon
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N.
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A friendly prank war at the White House spirals out of control in this hilarious and heartfelt middle-grade novel written by acclaimed author Yamile Saied Méndez and perfect for fans of President of the Whole Fifth Grade and Merci Suárez Changes Gears.
Ingrid and Winnie López have lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for eight years. But their friends Skylar and Zora Williams, the new first daughters, are about to move into the White House with their mom, the president-elect. The Williamses don’t know that the folks they are replacing often prank incoming presidents’ families. As such, Ingrid and Winnie take that tradition very seriously.
But the four girls get wrapped up in an ever-escalating exchange of practical jokes. And when things spiral out of control, can they avoid an international incident? Or will their battle go down in American history and ruin their friendship forever?
About the Author:
Yamile (sha-MEE-lay) Saied Méndez is a fútbol-obsessed Argentine-American Pura Belpré gold medal winning author. She lives in Utah with her Puerto Rican husband and their five kids, two adorable dogs, and one majestic cat.
An inaugural Walter Dean Myers Grant recipient, she’s also a graduate of Voices of Our Nations (VONA) and the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Writing for Children’s and Young Adult program.
She writes picture books, middle grade, young adult, and adult romance fiction. Yamile is a founding member of Las Musas, the first collective of women and nonbinary Latinx MG and YA authors. Linda Camacho represents her at Gallt & Zacker Literary.
Visit her at www.yamilesmendez.com.
Shaking Up the House Review:
What a fun read “Shaking Up the House” was!
Firstly, I enjoyed the setting of the tale. The story takes place at the White House, and the author includes interesting tidbits about the historic location. The author wrote in a delightful manner where she progresses the plot smoothly while including some interesting facts. I love it when books teach me something new, and I enjoyed some of the trivia. For instance, I didn’t even know about Dolley Madison and the fire of 1812 until I read this story. Similarly, the second tunnels also added a nice touch to the story.
Secondly, I loved the diverse cast and enjoyed how the author represented them. Winnie, Ingrid, Skylar, and Zora shine in their way, and I liked how the author distinguished them. Each character brings something new to the story in the way they plot their pranks. The author also changes the chapter from each of the four’s perspectives, which made the book entertaining. Some of the pranks had me laughing out loud and got intense as the story progressed. A few of the highlights were the prank revolving around the green Jell-o powder and the underwear.
However, at the same time, while I enjoyed the pranks, I feel the young readers might think it is okay to try some of them. I wish the author had provided more details on the girls’ consequences towards the end.
Apart from that, this was a fun tale! Overall, “Shaking Up the House” is an entertaining middle-grade story that shows what happens when a friendly game of pranks spirals out of control.
