Xenia Navarro and the Magic Ants by Lois Wickstrom and Milagros Darling – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

Xenia Navarro and the Magic Ants by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Xenia Navarro and the Magic Ants is a kid’s book that centers around the character of a young girl by the name of Xenia Navarro. Xenia lives with her older brother Lucas, and her mom, who is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. Her dad died in Iraq before he was able to marry her mom and her mom felt raising them in the US would be better for her children. Xenia has grown up with the fear of her mom being deported and has been taught not to draw attention to herself. She must get good grades but not so good that she ends up winning a prize and going in the newspaper because this would bring unwanted attention.

Xenia rarely plays outside because of her mom’s fears but one day while outside she begins to observe a group of ants on the special rock around the sunflower in her yard. The ants and the rock help the sunflower to grow. She watches the ants climb into the garbage can and as she watches them, she notices strange things that they seem to be able to do. As Xenia watches the ants, she decides to do a science project on them and the sunflower. However, before she can complete her science project her mom is deported back to Mexico and Xenia’s life is turned upside down.

The author did a wonderful job of writing about difficult subjects in a way that is easy for children to understand. The storyline was a bit intense at times and took me on a bit of a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The character of Xenia was smart, strong, kind, caring, independent, and inquisitive. The neighbor was someone I felt compelled to slap because what Xenia was doing in her yard was none of his business. Who was he to decide if there was a right or wrong way for a girl to act or play? My heart broke for Xenia when her worst fears came true, and her mom was ripped away from her. How traumatic it was to be separated from her mom and everything she knew. This was a a great little chapter book that touches on the topics of family dynamics, immigration, deportation, ICE, Mexican culture and language, politics, whimsy, a hint of magic, and science.

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