Title: Clodio’s Corner
Author: Magaly Heriveaux
Publisher: Outskirts Press
ISBN: 1478766581
Pages: 130
Genre: Fiction, middle grade or young adult
Reviewed by: Leah Shepherd
Hollywood Book Reviews
This heart-warming story begins with a wedding. Clodio’s dad marries his new wife after the death of Clodio’s mom. It’s a major transition for young Clodio, but he manages to navigate it very well. He’s an unusually mature eighth-grader with a ton of integrity. He’s an old soul who speaks in formal language that doesn’t quite jive with the typical modern American teenager.
Clodio gets along well with dad and his new stepmom, Nephalie, who is kind and genuine. But he struggles to get along with his two step-sisters: Kosma, a popular and athletic 14-year-old, and Wyndella, a shy 15-year-old with old-fashioned clothes and few friends. He was born in Germany and came to New York when he was four years old. The story is set in Brooklyn, New York, but it lacks specific details that would bring the place and time period to life for the reader.
The story contains poignant, powerful lessons about forgiveness, resilience, honor and mending relationships. It shows how familial love is about commitment. “Real love has the power to ride throughout all kinds of storm,” Wyndella tells Clodio. Throughout the book, Clodio yearns to have a good bond with his step-sisters, but he gets frustrated when his first attempts don’t work. Even though he is younger, the girls have a harder time adjusting to their recent life changes than he does.
There’s a strange visit to a hospital, where the girls’ father is recovering from a shooting. It seemed odd that Clodio and his dad would visit this man without his daughters. Even odder was the easy conversation that didn’t have any of the awkwardness or strain you might expect between a badly injured man and his ex-wife’s new husband. The event is a turning point for the girls, who apologize to Clodio for not being kind to him. Over time, they come to terms with their parents’ divorce and start treating Clodio better. He figures out how to be helpful to them and win their trust.
Young readers can see Clodio setting a great example in how to handle difficult feelings, like grief and frustration. As Clodio says, “All you have to do is live your life and try your best to do the right thing.”