Brianna Banana, Helper of the Day

December 1, 2024

Gr 3-5-Brianna, a rambunctious and hot-tempered nine-year-old, badly wants to be chosen as Helper of the Day. Since starting third grade she has had many mishaps: getting into disagreements with classmates, shouting and yelling, and losing her temper with her teacher, Mrs. Newberry. Brianna feels alone, especially during recess. She stands out with her height and bright yellow hair, leading to her hated nickname, "Brianna Banana." Rumi is a student who is new to the school and the country; she gets picked as class helper instead, upsetting Brianna. Then Rumi picks Brianna, much to her surprise and out of all the eager students, to help her find the library. The girls go on the journey to return Rumi's books, but in true Brianna fashion, she becomes so excitable she forgets the directions Ms. Newberry gave her and gets lost. In the end, Brianna realizes she made a friend of Rumi because of her thoughtfulness, and that in a way she was a helper after all. This latest entry in the "Orca Echoes" line depicts a realistic view of the inner workings of a high-energy child who just wants to be accepted. Ogawa's black-and-white illustrations add charm and movement to the prose. VERDICT A chapter book about friendship and SEL that will be a great fit for children's collections.-Annmarie Braithwaite

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 15, 2025
Self-control doesn't come easily to Brianna, but maybe a new friend will? More than anything in this world, Brianna Ross longs to be Helper of the Day in her third grade class. Trouble is...well, trouble. Teased on a regular basis ("Brianna Banana" is the mean nickname other kids give her for being tall and blond), she has great difficulty controlling her emotions, paying attention, and not acting out. She sincerely believes that if she's Helper of the Day, other kids in her class might play with her. When new transfer student Rumi is named Helper of the Day, however, Brianna finds herself standing up for the quiet, easily overwhelmed girl. With her poor choices and hair-trigger temper, Brianna could give Jack Gantos' Joey Pigza a run for his money in the self-restraint (or lack thereof) department. Button attempts a tough balancing act: keeping her protagonist sympathetic in spite of her many mistakes and crafting a nuanced, wholly believable character within a relatively short page count. She triumphs: Readers will root for Brianna, while perhaps understanding why she has so few friends. Brianna has distinct spunk and turns of phrase worth noting (after mentioning that her dad left the family and her grandpa died, she says, "In my family the boys are gone, and the girls live on Princess Street"). In Ogawa's pleasing black-and-white art, Brianna presents as white, while her classmates are diverse. A flawed but sympathetic character worthy of readers' love.(Chapter book. 6-9)

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