Review of Yolanda

[Roy Nick]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Yolanda" by Ronald Schoenberg and Karyne Pesho.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Things have changed over the years, and so has technology. Often, we find ourselves glued to our phones reading tweets on Twitter, smirking over our favorite celeb’s recent post, among others. New dancing trends come up each day on TikTok, and we can video chat with our distant friends on Skype. Technology has made things easier but is also much time-consuming. In Yolanda by Ronald Schoenberg and Karyne Pesho, Yolanda’s parents express their discontentment with their daughter’s addiction to her phone.

Yolanda is a young girl who lives with her parents, Sam and Maya. However, she spends time on her phone chatting with her only friend, Susie. Yolanda boasts of a wide range of ancestral heritage: Chinese, Italian American, and Quinault. Nevertheless, her distinctive looks only make it worse at school, getting mean comments from the popular kids.

Sam decides to take his daughter on a camping trip. He decides to take Yolanda to see the Reservation and learn more about the Quinault Indians. She has mixed feelings about the experience, but she is thrilled about the escapade. Things take an unprecedented turn when Sam falls off and injures his leg. Ironically, Yolanda has to use her phone, the same one that her parents have been expressing concerns about, to seek help. Will she succeed in the task?

I enjoyed the epic adventure in the forest, reading about the wild berries and toxic mushrooms. It was bewildering to know that the ancient Quinault people ate deer meat, wild fruits, and herbs back in the day. I kept imagining myself being a part of their culture and the strenuous life of traditional communication because there were no smartphones.

Yolanda is compassionate. Her father injures his leg and cannot move. Despite the chilly weather, she removes her jacket to support Sam’s head. Also, she lost the trail on her way to the car to retrieve her phone to call for help. Even worse, the forest was dark, as there were no street lights. There were wild animals, and a mountain lion was on the loose. I feared for Yolanda and her safety.

Some dialogues were repetitive; hence, unrelieved to follow. That’s what I did not like. I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. I only exposed two errors, so it is professionally edited. I gained immensely from reading more about Yolanda’s family and their history. I recommend the installment to teenagers fascinated by books with diverse cultures.

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Yolanda
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[Amiczy Heaven]

This story reflects our society today. Personally, I do not even know how to talk to people physically, but I have a smart mouth on phone. I hope Yolanda was able to help her dad.

[Aisha Yakub]

If she's able to help her dad, it still doesn't validate her addiction. Seems like a great book. Thank you for the review.

[T T 2]

The story seems to bring out the current social scenario in light. I do understand the excessive use of phone is bad but it is indeed helpful at the time of emergencies. From the review I can make out where the story will lead to. Thank you for a great review.

[Asiaa Szn]

This book is reflecting my personality and it's quite comical. I hope Yolanda gets her dad's help. Great review

[QualityAndQuantity]

The theme of the book is much relatable for kids who have just started their teen years. They do stupid things at this time and now that they have their own smart phones, no one can say what they can or can not do. Great review.

[Janelydia Mwangi]

A superb review. I recommend this to our young generation whose addiction has gone to the levels of not working without earphones or headphones... though the phone has advantages, it has disrupted our association with our children and they can't live without phones due to school work.