This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Hi my name is Jessenia L Torres and I have always been enthusiastic about writing, I wrote my first children’s book out of the need to empower kid’s to be kind. As a school bus driver I saw so many kids being teased or made fun of how they look. I knew I needed to do something so I wrote my first book Jessie and The Kindness Beads. When the pandemic hit and the schools closed, I rediscovered my love for writing. My goal is to write children’s books that teach life lessons while celebrating each child’s distinctiveness and journey.
I am from Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico and live in Connecticut with my husband and children.
Reviewed by Tiffany Ferrell for Readers' Favorite
In Jessie and the Kindness Beads by Jessenia L Torres, we are introduced to a young girl who is bullied daily by the more popular children in the class. Unlike most kids her age, Jessie knows she sticks out because of the way she dresses, and how she always has her face in a book and doesn’t reply or respond to their taunts. Despite acting as if she doesn’t care, their words hurt the little girl. When her school decides to run a fundraiser to help pay for the new theater that is to be built, she has a wonderful idea to create pretty beaded necklaces to sell to raise money for the theater. Meanwhile, a girl at school is mean to her. Jessie’s friends and family keep telling her that she needs to stand up for herself otherwise those kids in school will keep on bullying her. Finally, on the day of the fundraiser, Jessie finds her voice and lets that specific girl know that she wasn’t going to let the girl bully her anymore.
I found Jessie and the Kindness Beads to be a great, realistic read. Bullying is so common that I feel many children will be able to relate to Jessie. I think we all feel a bit different and struggle to fit in at some point in our lives. I feel it’s also important for you to stand up for yourself, especially if you are being treated badly. This book is a perfect example with an ending that will deliver the message in the hope that the young reader will use this book as a guide and follow-through. The illustrations are also delivered perfectly and they fit well with the storyline. Jessenia L Torres has done a wonderful job with this book that I believe is about herself as a child. Kids will learn so much from this story, and I hope to read more of her work in the future.
