It’s Elementary by Elise Bryant
A Review By: SY
A fast-paced, completely delightful new mystery about what happens when parents get a little too involved in their kids' schools, from NAACP Image Award nominee Elise Bryant.
Mavis Miller is not a PTA mom. She has enough on her plate with her feisty seven-year-old daughter, Pearl, an exhausting job at a nonprofit, and the complexities of a multigenerational household. So no one is more surprised than Mavis when she caves to Trisha Holbrook, the long-reigning, slightly terrifying PTA president, and finds herself in charge of the school’s brand-new DEI committee.
As one of the few Black parents at this California elementary school, Mavis tries to convince herself this is an opportunity for real change. But things go off the rails at the very first meeting, when the new principal's plans leave Trisha absolutely furious. Later that night, when Mavis spies Trisha in yellow rubber gloves and booties, lugging cleaning supplies and giant black trash bags to her waiting minivan, it’s only natural that her mind jumps to somewhere it surely wouldn’t in the light of day.
Except Principal Smith fails to show up for work the next morning, and has been MIA since the meeting. Determined to get to the bottom of things, Mavis, along with the school psychologist with the great forearms (look, it’s worth noting), launches an investigation that will challenge her views on parenting, friendship, and elementary school politics.
Brilliantly written, It's Elementary is a quick-witted, escapist romp that perfectly captures just how far parents will go to give their kids the very best, all wrapped in a mystery that will leave you guessing to the very end.
Review Notes:
Audio Book Publication Year: 2024
An installment in a Series? No
Narrator (s): Aure Nash
"It's Elementary" somehow combines a murder mystery plot with quick-witted, ironic social politics and a rom-com - and does so in a way that is both hilarious and relatable. Elise Bryant is a talented and astute storyteller, using a grade school as the primary setting for many of the observations that Black people have about everyday life in America. Mavis Miller is a single mom battling personal insecurities associated with raising a child with fidelity, fighting for recognition of contributions to her professional work, and navigating the inevitable social and racial politics of a school community. Mavis' internal dialogue as she attempts to solve the community mystery will make listeners laugh out loud and nod in understanding at her reactions to the microaggressions (and sometimes outright offenses) voiced by ancillary characters. The plot felt a little slow in a few places, but Bryant did a solid job of building characters and incorporating dialogue to move the story along.
Narrator Aure Nash is an absolute treasure - voicing everyone from Mavis' endearing podcast-obsessed father to her innocent, precocious seven-year-old daughter, Pearl, and the annoying PTA mothers, Nash has an astounding range. Her interpretation and comedic timing of Bryant's material was amazing and a delight to hear.
Reading Recommendation? Yes!
Rating: 5 (I need another one!)
Content Warnings? None
