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Shaking Up the House Hardcover – January 5, 2021
Yamile Saied Méndez (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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A friendly prank war at the White House spirals out of control in this hilarious and heartfelt middle grade novel written by acclaimed author Yamile Saied Méndez and perfect for fans of President of the Whole Fifth Grade and Merci Suárez Changes Gears.
Ingrid and Winnie López have lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for eight years, but their friends Skylar and Zora Williams—the new first daughters—are about to move into the White House with their mom, the president-elect. What the Williamses don’t know is that incoming presidents’ families are often pranked by the folks they’re replacing, and Ingrid and Winnie take that tradition very seriously.
But when the four girls get wrapped up in an ever-escalating exchange of practical jokes and things spiral out of control, can they avoid an international incident? Or will their battle go down in American history and ruin their friendship forever?
- Reading age8 - 12 years
- Print length256 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level3 - 7
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.89 x 8.25 inches
- PublisherHarperCollins
- Publication dateJanuary 5, 2021
- ISBN-100062970720
- ISBN-13978-0062970725
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Review
“Delightfully silly and enjoyable.” — Kirkus Reviews
"An entertaining read, and a clever reimagining of First Daughter tropes, showing that anyone can be in the White House and have fun doing so." — School Library Journal
“Fun, fast, and full of laughs, you’ve never seen the White House like this!" — Ally Carter, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Gallagher Girls
"A delightful story of pranks and misadventures, proving that friendships with rocky starts are often the best friendships of all." — Saadia Faruqi, author of A Place at the Table and the Yasmin series
"Laugh-out-loud funny and joyously optimistic, Shaking Up the House reminds us that even when things go utterly awry, good-intentioned and caring people can set them right again. Yamile Saied Méndez deftly juggles multiple viewpoints to weave together a timely tale of the power of tradition and friendship. And in these fraught times, the story of two first families coming together in respect and common purpose is a bromide for the soul." — David Bowles, award-winning author of They Call Me Güero and the 13th Street series
"Full of fun, mischief, and surprising insider secrets about the White House, this book will have readers laughing and cheering along with every new prank. The López and Williams girls definitely get my vote!" — Christina Soontorvant, author of The Changeling series and A Wish in the Dark
Praise for Where Are You From?: "Lyrical language and luminous illustrations. An ideal vehicle for readers to ponder and discuss their own identities." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"An enchanted, hand-in-hand odyssey [and] opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the many, many backgrounds, roots, histories, of those who live in these United States." — Shelf Awareness (starred review)
"A much-needed title that is a first purchase for libraries and classrooms." — School Library Journal
"This touching book addresses a ubiquitous question for children of color, and in the end, the closeness between the girl and Abuelo shows that no matter the questions, she knows exactly where she’s from." — Booklist
"Although the book begins as a gentle riposte to narrow cultural and ethnic categorizations, its conclusion reaches out to all readers, evoking both heritage and the human family." — Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Yamile (pronounced sha-MEE-lay) Saied Méndez has been a builder, maker, organizer, cheerleader, writer, driver, cook, learner, mentor, referee, personal assistant, psychic, stylist, designer, investigator, healer, counselor, gardener, translator, memory keeper, and above all, an asker of questions. She’s a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts and a founding member of Las Musas collective. Visit her at www.yamilesmendez.com.
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Product details
- Publisher : HarperCollins (January 5, 2021)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 256 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0062970720
- ISBN-13 : 978-0062970725
- Reading age : 8 - 12 years
- Grade level : 3 - 7
- Item Weight : 11.9 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.89 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,205,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,830 in Children's Siblings Books (Books)
- #24,619 in Children's Humor
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Yamile (sha-MEE-lay) is a fútbol obsessed Argentine-American. She’s the mother of 5 kids and 2 adorable dogs. Yamile’s an inaugural Walter Dean Meyers Grant recipient, a graduate of Voices of our Nation (VONA) and the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Writing for Children program.
She’s represented by Linda Camacho, from the Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency.
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Firstly, I enjoyed the setting of the tale. The story takes place at the White House, and the author includes interesting tidbits about the historic location. The author wrote in a delightful manner where she progresses the plot smoothly while including some interesting facts. I love it when books teach me something new, and I enjoyed some of the trivia. For instance, I didn’t even know about Dolley Madison and the fire of 1812 until I read this story. Similarly, the second tunnels also added a nice touch to the story.
Secondly, I loved the diverse cast and enjoyed how the author represented them. Winnie, Ingrid, Skylar, and Zora shine in their way, and I liked how the author distinguished them. Each character brings something new to the story in the way they plot their pranks. The author also changes the chapter from each of the four’s perspectives, which made the book entertaining. Some of the pranks had me laughing out loud and got intense as the story progressed. A few of the highlights were the prank revolving around the green Jell-o powder and the underwear.
However, at the same time, while I enjoyed the pranks, I feel the young readers might think it is okay to try some of them. I wish the author had provided more details on the girls’ consequences towards the end.
Apart from that, this was a fun tale! Overall, “Shaking Up the House” is an entertaining middle-grade story that shows what happens when a friendly game of pranks spirals out of control.

Firstly, I enjoyed the setting of the tale. The story takes place at the White House, and the author includes interesting tidbits about the historic location. The author wrote in a delightful manner where she progresses the plot smoothly while including some interesting facts. I love it when books teach me something new, and I enjoyed some of the trivia. For instance, I didn’t even know about Dolley Madison and the fire of 1812 until I read this story. Similarly, the second tunnels also added a nice touch to the story.
Secondly, I loved the diverse cast and enjoyed how the author represented them. Winnie, Ingrid, Skylar, and Zora shine in their way, and I liked how the author distinguished them. Each character brings something new to the story in the way they plot their pranks. The author also changes the chapter from each of the four’s perspectives, which made the book entertaining. Some of the pranks had me laughing out loud and got intense as the story progressed. A few of the highlights were the prank revolving around the green Jell-o powder and the underwear.
However, at the same time, while I enjoyed the pranks, I feel the young readers might think it is okay to try some of them. I wish the author had provided more details on the girls’ consequences towards the end.
Apart from that, this was a fun tale! Overall, “Shaking Up the House” is an entertaining middle-grade story that shows what happens when a friendly game of pranks spirals out of control.

Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Winnie and Ingrid have lived in the White House for eight years, most of their life. There is a long standing history of the current administration setting pranks for the incoming president and Winnie and Ingrid aren't going to cede the house without a prank or two for the new first daughters. This turns into an all out prank war between the two sets of twins, really shaking up the house. Disruptions abound as the girls try to outdo the others pranks, but also end up growing their friendship as members of the "First Kids Club."
The chapters bounce between each girl and I really enjoyed how each had a distinctive voice, interests and personality. No cliches of twins being identical in everyway, or else polar opposites!
Funny, witty, relatable; this book will have readers in suspense and cheering on each “team!”