Kiara dreads going back to school and into 3rd grade, especially since her beloved grandmother has just died. She know that she will face bullying, but things get even worse when her best friend ditches her after she runs away rather than stand up for him. In the meantime, her grandma left her a genie who seems to eat and boss her around more than grant wishes.

Pretty standard school story, but I loved that Kiara eventually had to figure out a way to deal with the bully herself -- I'm not sure that the message of blackmail instead of telling an adult is the best message, but I can see why that would appeal to a lot of kids who don't feel like they can trust adults to fix things. Very up to date, and reads as older than 3rd grade -- Kiara has a phone capable of taking videos and texts her best friend Bai. She's got $50 saved in her puppy fund, so it's also set in a middle to upper class family. Love Bai and Kiara's hilarious India vs China rivalry (all in fun) and Zayn's love of costuming, which makes him pretty gender fluid in the illustrations. Clever, upbeat, all about self-empowerment. Wish Kiara didn't skip meals when she's feeling upset, but I love that her mom is always down for her to eat. ( )