Kitty Felde’s State of the Union is a touching story of a girl in search of her place in the world following the loss of her mother. Like a lovely rainbow cake, the story is richly layered with mystery, friendship, and family conflict, and stars a colorful cast of characters. The story is told through the eyes of young Fina Mendoza, aka detective girl, and daughter of a California congressman. Readers will step into Fina’s shoes as she adapts to life in Washington, DC—they will walk through the Capitol’s hallowed halls and learn what our lawmakers do from their Capitol perch. Ultimately, they will cheer on Fina as she mends family wounds all the while on the hunt for a rare bird, hiding somewhere in the Capitol, that just might carry a message from her mother. State of the Union is a heartwarming read, a gem of a book.
Kitty Felde’s State of the Union is a wonderful read for those who love a good mystery and being kept on their toes! A real page-turner, one will love following the inquisitive, determined, and adventure-seeking 10-year-old protagonist, Fina Mendoza, while learning about the inner workings of the government in our nation’s capital. State of the Union is a perfect book for a read-aloud, book clubs, and to add to any library!
State of the Union has it all – a protagonist you will cheer for, warmth and humor, and a good mystery story underpinning it all. Readers will get an inside look at how their government works – Felde handles this beautifully, weaving her expertise in seamlessly – and so much more.
Clarion Rating: 5 out of 5
“Sometimes you have to do things that make other people mad if you want to change something that is wrong,” learns a precocious young investigator in the involving mystery novel State of the Union.
In Kitty Felde’s informative mystery novel State of the Union, a child detective tracks down a rogue bird that she believes may have a message for her from beyond.
Ten-year-old Fina spends a lot of time in the US Capitol. Her father works in the House of Representatives, and she works as a dog walker for the pets of members of Congress.
When Monica, the woman who works at the Capitol’s cafeteria checkout, tells Fina that she keeps hearing the squawk of a Chickcharney, a legendary bird from her home in the Caribbean, Fina is skeptical. But when a bird swoops in and poops on the president’s head during the State of the Union address, Fina is convinced that what Monica said is true: the Chickcharney is here, and it has a message for her from her late mother. Though Fina’s investigation lands her in trouble with the Capitol Hill security guards and complicates her relationship with her father and her abuelita, she races to find the bird before animal control can take it away.
Fina is an intelligent and precocious heroine who uses her critical thinking skills and keen observational senses to suss out information on the Chickcharney and the other mysteries in her daily life, including her inscrutable math homework and her teenage sister’s angst-motivated choices. Fina attributes her humility to the example of her Mexican American abuelita, who is a proud pro-immigration activist; she knows she is lucky to live in close proximity to the White House too. In the course of the novel, she shares insider information such as that “reporters don’t applaud” and that it is “against the rules to use a government phone or a government office to help you run for re-election.” Her affable voice and desire to do her best make her an endearing guide through the capital city.
Fina’s investigation takes place on the internet as much as on the Capitol’s grounds, but her alternating disappointment and excitement at her dead ends and discoveries make her digital search just as action-packed as her physical one. Encounters with cantankerous Capitol police and listless reporters bolster the book’s suspense. While Fina seems to lack friends her own age without explanation, her dog-walking companions and her abuelita, who has high expectations for her kin, round out her extra-detective activities. And her abuelita’s and father’s political motivations interweave with Fina’s investigation for additional intrigue.
In the process of searching for the Chickcharney, Fina lands on another message from her abuelita’s activist friends: “Sometimes you have to do things that make other people mad if you want to change something that is wrong.” While Fina’s goal is always to find the Chickcharney, her understanding of its potential message shifts over the course of her investigation. In the political battle over whether the bird that pooped on the president’s head during the State of the Union speech should be killed or lauded, Fina only wants for it what she wants for herself: a sense of belonging.
State of the Union is a delightful mystery novel with a message of unity and cooperation modeled in the goal of catching a runaway bird.
Reviewed by Aimee Jodoin
State of the Union is a civics lesson disguised as a mystery for kids, a family story where Papa just happens to serve in the U.S. Congress. In an era of bitter partisan politics, it’s a sneaky way to excite the next generation about government and the possibility of public service.
Kitty Felde is teaching our children all about Capitol Hill in a way that grabs and keeps their interest. Personally, I can say she knows every nook and cranny of the place because she interviewed me in almost all of them.
Combines knowledge of the behind-the-scenes workings of Congress and Capitol Hill’s historic locales with suspense, humor, and a young, first-person Latina protagonist who is alive with realistic curiosity, empathy, and determination. A lively, diverse mystery with enjoyable, informative plotting and a relatable young female protagonist.
An impressively original, exceptionally well written, thoroughly entertaining, and unreservedly recommended read for children ages 7-12.
