This was a relatable heart warming story. The characters inspire the reader to be kind, brave and an ally, I am such a fan of this character- I hope there are many more Marisol adventures planned.

This is book number two in the Maybe Marisol series. The endearing main character is Marisol Rainey.
This story is about overcoming fears, told with a bit of humor and anxious situations children might face growing up. It surely took me back to my elementary school days.

Marisol Rainey’s mother was born in the Philippines. Marisol’s father works and lives part-time on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Marisol has this big imagination and likes to name inanimate objects, like the tree in her backyard she calls Peppina, even though she's too scared to climb it. Marisol is the only girl in this small Louisiana town whose mother is not a native and has a dad who lives away three weeks of every month.

Marisol Rainey’s two least-favorite things are radishes and gym class. Avoiding radishes is no problem but gym class is inevitable. Marisol deflates when Coach Decker announces that they will be learning to play kickball. Seems she’s just not great at sports unlike Oz, her older brother. Her classmates know this too and their comments about about her lack of skills truly hurt and make her feel small.

Kickball!,,
Here come the what if’s…
What if she tries to kick the ball, but instead lands on her bottom? What if she tries to catch the ball and gets smacked in the nose?
She is sure she will be the worst kickballer in the history of kickball? In desperation, Marisol and her best friend Jada decide to get help from her most annoying big brother, Oz.

Even though Surely Surely Marisol us part of a series this works as a stand alone allowing readers to read the books in any order. The chapters are short, lots of white space and humorous black and white illustrations throughout.
Young readers will identify with the joys of friendship, the power of being different, and the good feeling of persevering.

I highly recommend this book and the Maybe Marisol series.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy of this sweet chapter book. Marisol is anxious about gym class. I love how Entrada Kelly deals with this common topic for kids.

Another sweet and funny title in the Marisol Rainey series that will appeal to fans of contemporary chapter books. This time around Marisol is nervous about the upcoming kickball unit in PE. She isn't good at sports, like her brother Oz, and one classmate in particular constantly makes fun of Marisol on the playground and in PE because of this. Can Marisol learn the skills she needs to be a Kickball Queen or will she miss the ball completely?

Started this while in a line at the bank (8 deep with 2 tellers, sigh) and oh my, it brought a smile to my face! Felt all the emotions along with Marisol (I wasn’t athletic either) and would’ve loved to have her as a friend to read about back in the day.

Keep thinking I can’t love Marisol more, and the ending of this one (cat meow prediction, kick, clouds) left me going awww (surely).

As well: appreciate the mention of The Brain Train and how it chugs and chugs and becomes exhausting, with one quick way to address it (focus on the right-nows).

This is a page-turner of a book for readers beginning to read chapter books. It contains short sketches about a young girl, Marisol Rainey, and how she deals with minor conflicts with schoolmates, trials of family life, and issues related to growing up. Throughout it all, she is supported by a best friend. Much of this book focuses on Marisol's desire to overcome her lack of skill in playing kickball and her fear of embarrassing herself. Thanks to the help of her brother, a sports star, and the support of her best friend, things all work out in the end. Along the way, her supportive friends and family are there as Marisol learns how to deal with a rude classmate and feels the joy of succeeding in sports.

As a more mature reader Marisol Rainey reminds me of my heart-warming Beverly Cleary days. Surely, Surely Marisol Rainey the second in the series, by one of my favorite authors Erin Entrada Kelly, is a fun read for beginning readers. I really like Coach Decker. He seemed like a cool character that I would have enjoyed his gym class, though I don’t care for kickball either. Note: I would like to “grow up” to be a “public intellectual”- it sounds super important.

What a really adorable, fun way for readers to start with chapter books. This adventure in friendship is sure to be enjoyed by new readers. I can envision teachers reading this to their classes everywhere!


Grateful to have received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley & Greenwillow Books

While the artwork was not all there in this arc, the adorable story was worth the read! It was lovely reading more about Marisol 's adventures. This deals a lot with Marisol's friends and kickball at school.

Surely, Surely Marisol Rainey is a book that will appeal to many young readers. Her friendships, her fears, and the ups and downs of her everyday life will resonate with young readers everywhere.

Surely Surely Marisol Rainey is the perfect sequel to Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey. Children who are new to the series will love getting to know Marisol, her brother Oz, Dadhead, and her friends. Children who have read Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey will absolutely love this new installment. In this book, Marisol is dealing with anxiety related to an upcoming kickball game in gym. She turns to her friend and then her brother for help and support. Marisol learns many important lessons as she faces her fear and gets through the dreaded kickball game. A fabulous book for young readers!

Surely Surely Marisol Rainey is a fantastic follow up to Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey! This time with her friends Jada, Marisol is working toward success in the kickball world. Will they be able to pick up some skills from from her soccer star brother? Will Marisol finally get to hear coach shout “Way to Go!” for something she did in PE? It’s hard not to be won over by the characters in Erin Entrada Kelly’s books, and Marisol’s story falls in line with that. Endearing! I will continue to talk up this series to both the students and the teachers in my school.

The latest title featuring Marisol Rainey is a stand-alone following Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey. Who doesn't love sports, right? Marisol. Satisfying themes of fitting in, friendship and family. No need to shelve this title!

I loved Erin Entrada Kelly’s next Marisol book! This time, lots of angst over kickball… Written in a delightfully engaging way, punctuated with irresistible illustrations; Marisol’s relatable experiences will capture your heart.

A cute and fun second installment to the Marisol Rainey series. This time, Marisol is concerned about playing her first kickball game. With the help of her family and friends, she gains the confidence to put her best foot forward.

It's hard to imagine that you won't fall completely in love with young Marisol Rainey, the delightful central character in Newbery Medal-winning author Erin Entrada Kelly's "Surely Surely Marisol Rainey."

If we weren't Marisol when we were in a middle-grade, then we most certainly had a Marisol in our life. She's more than a little quirky, extremely loyal, loves her family, adores her best friend Jada, and is extremely jealous of the athletically inclined Evie.

For the record, Marisol is NOT athletically inclined.

A stand-alone companion to Kelly's "Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey," "Surely Surely Marisol Rainey" is a good-hearted, smile-inducing page turner from beginning to end. Having not read "Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey," or any other of Kelly's books for that matter, I fell so completely in love with this one that it immediately had me looking up Kelly's previous books with eager anticipation of my future reading.

There's just so much to love here.

"Surely Surely Marisol Rainey" is told in short chapters with illustrations by Kelly herself on nearly every page. The book feels warm and welcoming from page one and that sense of welcome never wears itself out. The story centers around Marisol's anxiety about gym class, an activity she hates very likely even more than radishes.

That's a lot.

When time for kickball arrives, Marisol starts to panic knowing for sure that everyone around her is far more skilled than she is and she's destined to be embarrassed. We meet a host of delightful characters including her endearing parents, older brother Oz, best friend Jada, that athletic Evie, and even the animal whispering Felix.

There are others.

They all add up to a delightful reading experience that should easily please the middle-grade crowd and other young readers. Kelly has a refreshing gift for talking up to children - trusting their intelligence enough to create a story that adds in some very cool cultural references and immerses the reader in a celebration of differences, an appreciation for friendship, and the reward that often arrives with persevering even when things seem totally impossible.

"Surely Surely Marisol Rainey" may very well be my first experience with Erin Entrada Kelly but it most certainly won't be my last.

Erin Entrada Kelly has a great voice for middle grade books, and readers will definitely enjoy this kid-centric story about a girl who is struggling to find her place. Marisol Rainey is a friendly girl who loves her pet cat, her best friend, and her family. She struggles with sports, and often wishes it would rain so she doesn't embarrass herself at kickball. However, her brother is a soccer star, and it makes her feel even more left out. Her friends are much better at sports than she is, and one of her classmates loudly makes fun of her. This makes things very difficult for Marisol. Add to all this that her dad is away and can't help her with kickball, and it's all too much for her.

I loved the illustrations and the character of Marisol. I really appreciated that she did struggle to fit in, but that most kids saw the good things about her. I read part of the book with my 8 year old niece, and I felt that it made a great read aloud for her. I will definitely recommend this book to my middle grade readers, though it would be more fitting for younger readers around ages 8-10