Marsha Is Magnetic

Faced with the problem of handing out birthday party invitations (without any friends to hand them out to), Marsha—an avid scientist—turns to the trusty scientific method. While telling a story through the steps of the scientific method is a challenging undertaking, Ferry pulls it off with flying colors, resulting in a wildly original yet comfortingly familiar tale of the truest way to find friends—being yourself. After Marsha observes a popular girl (Step 1: Observe), she seeks her parents’ advice (Step 2: Questions) on what makes her so. Clever wordplay by Ferry delights throughout, as Marsha takes her dad’s suggestion that the popular Christa has a “magnetic” personality literally and applies her STEAM skills to “attract” some friends. Fellow students’ various metallic accoutrements come flying towards Marsha’s magnetized contraption, and she hands out invitations. Alvarez’s illustrations—which seamlessly celebrate diversity of all kinds—are bright and playful, nicely exaggerating the effectiveness of Marsha’s magnetic impact and infusing the book with a unique style that perfectly complements Marsha’s personality—vibrant, nerdy, and absolutely one-of-a-kind.