Isabella: A Wish for Miguel (Girlhood Journeys)
Gr 3-5--Another entry in a series that's an unabashed imitation of "The American Girls" series (Pleasant). In Isabella's first volume, she attempts to ask the viceroy of colonial Peru to excuse her family's Indian hired hand from mandatory service in the silver mines. However, this historically significant theme takes a backseat to Isabella's struggle to come to grips with the death of her mother and with her father's subsequent emotional withdrawal. Unfortunately, the plot is filled with contrivances. Oddly, when Isabella finally meets the viceroy, she forgets to ask him to excuse Miguel from his mandatory service, and it is her father who ends up securing the reprieve. Since an adult solves the story's major conflict, this conclusion is less than satisfying. The frequent illustrations are charming and colorful, but the characters' faces appear unnaturally stiff. On the whole, this is a weak offering, with stilted dialogue and awkward descriptive passages.Denise E. Agosto, formerly at Midland County Public Library, TXCopyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.