Surely Surely Marisol Rainey

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

Everyone loves sports . . . except Marisol! The stand-alone companion to Newbery Medal winner and New York Times–bestselling Erin Entrada Kelly’s Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey is an irresistible and humorous story about friendship, family, and fitting in.In a starred review, Horn Book called Surely Surely Marisol Rainey a “lively, realistic, and emotionally honest story.” Fans of Clementine, Billy Miller Makes a Wish, and Ramona the Pest will find a friend in Marisol. Features black-and-white art throughout by Erin Entrada Kelly.

Marisol Rainey’s two least-favorite things are radishes and gym class. She avoids radishes with very little trouble, but gym is another story—especially when Coach Decker announces their next unit: kickball.There are so many things that can go wrong in kickball. What if Marisol tries to kick the ball . . . but falls? What if she tries to catch the ball and gets smacked in the nose? What if she’s the worst kickballer in the history of kickball? Marisol and her best friend, Jada, decide to get help from the most unlikely—and most annoying—athlete in the world: Marisol’s big brother, Oz.Surely Surely Marisol Rainey is told in short chapters, with illustrations by the author on almost every page. Erin Entrada Kelly’s stand-alone companion novel to Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey celebrates the small but mighty Marisol, the joys of friendship, the power of being different, and the triumph of persevering. For readers of Kevin Henkes, Andrew Clements, Judy Blume, and Beverly Cleary.

About the Author

New York Times–bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly was awarded the Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe and a Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space. She grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and now lives in Delaware. She is a professor of children’s literature in the graduate fiction and publishing programs at Rosemont College, where she earned her MFA, and is on the faculty at Hamline University. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Philippines Free Press Literary Award for Short Fiction and the Pushcart Prize. Erin Entrada Kelly’s debut novel, Blackbird Fly, was a Kirkus Best Book, a School Library Journal Best Book, an ALSC Notable Book, and an Asian/Pacific American Literature Honor Book. She is also the author of The Land of Forgotten Girls, winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature; You Go First, a Spring 2018 Indie Next Pick; Lalani of the Distant Sea, an Indie Next Pick; Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey and Surely Surely Marisol Rainey, both of which she also illustrated; and Those Kids from Fawn Creek.