Penny, The Review Group's reviewer Penny for Your ThoughtsThe Review Group
Children's ✦ Penny’s Take

Family Reunion

Christine Platt · 2021
76/100
👍 Worth It

Ana and Andrew's 75th annual Lewis family reunion takes them from Washington, DC to Savannah, Georgia in this early chapter book from Christine Platt's warm, culturally grounded series. Swimming with cousins, road-trip discoveries, and intergenerational storytelling all work together to celebrate African American family heritage in a way that feels lived-in rather than staged. Calico Kid's production is classroom-friendly and the illustrations by Anuki Lopez give the series a consistent, inviting look. The honest caveat: at this length, the narrative moves quickly and doesn't linger long enough for any single episode to really land. Younger independent readers just stepping into chapter books will find it just right; older ones may want something meatier. Still, a culturally rich, fully family-safe pick.

✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Expert / editorial (commonsensemedia.org)60
Public sentiment (goodreads)80
Penny’s verdict76
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