librarianryan 's review for:

Lalo Wants a Real Name by Stephanie Harlow, Julia Mercedes-Castilla
2.0

It’s not unusual for kids not to like their name for one reason or another. I have a predominantly male name, and it was a pain growing up. Lalo does not like his name either and would rather be called Bobby Brown. While that is an unfortunate name to pick for so many reasons, we are never given a reason that Lalo doesn’t like his name except that it’s not a “real name”. I wonder if that is because it’s a term of endearment, or because it is a cultural name that is not standard boring us English. Lalo learns that your name is who you are, and that his connect him to his family. An interesting story, but I think it could be developed more. More about why he doesn’t like his name, or more on why he has his name.