Aleksandra Layland is a retired civil engineer and federal civil servant who worked primarily for the United States Air Force as a senior installation engineering manager responsible for buildings, airfields, infrastructure, fire protection, and emergency preparedness. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Western Caroline Islands where she helped build school classrooms and cafeterias, low income housing, and simple village water distribution systems.
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
Keri and Kalina: A Windflower Saga Chapter Book by Aleksandra Layland is set against the backdrop of Kimbria, an imaginary kingdom where readers get to meet seven-year-old Kalina who is lively, generous, and kind, and attends boarding school with Keri, her second cousin, who is talented and has a great love for animals. They both have lost one or both of their parents, making their grief somewhat similar, but they love visiting their grandparents and cousins. Both girls also share a secret of their homeland, Kimberlee. Kalina’s grandparents move to her homeland and now it up to her to decide if she wants to be at boarding school with Keri or stay with her grandparents and other members of the family. What will be Kalina’s decision? Will she move out to stay with her grandparents or will she prefer to be with Keri at boarding school?
The story highlights the importance of family power, sisterhood, and friendship through the characters of Keri and Kalina. The story is simple and the warm vibes of the story, family, and friendship run through the entire plot. The adventures and fun moments shared by Keri and Kalina are real, relatable, and palpable to readers. The pictures help readers connect well with the story and the moments shared between the two cousins. Parents and grandparents can use it for bedtime story-telling and the story is good for read aloud sessions in classrooms and school libraries because of the boarding school and friendship theme.
