A review by pianorunner421
The House That Lou Built by Mae Respicio

4.0

I enjoy reading middle grade readers in between all my "grown-up" books and literature. This one was like taking a big, relaxing, deep breath of fresh air. I love that characters are primarily females - they are strong, quirky and have skills that do not rely on a male character to bring them out. It is rare to read stories like this and I love the message it will send to all young readers - even if it is a subliminal one. I also very much enjoyed reading about the Filipino culture another path that is different than much of the literature that is available right now. This would be an excellent book to read aloud - it has good dialogue, easy descriptions for visualizing the story, and would be great for further study of the culture through food, music, and dancing.