Cleo Edison Oliver in Persuasion Power by Sundee T. Frazier (review)

“Kidpreneur” Cleo Edison Oliver (from Cleo Edison Oliver, Playground Millionaire, BCCB 3/16) is at it again, refusing to let the failure of her last venture—tooth extraction by Nerf gun—slow her budding business ideas. Her latest endeavor is Passion Clips, personalized barrettes made by her crafty friend Caylee, and they’re selling in her fifth-grade class like hotcakes while Cleo and Caylee are making some serious bank. Other aspects of Cleo’s life, though, are not so easily managed: she’s still grappling with being the adopted black daughter of a white mother (her father is biracial), and things get really tricky when her biological father makes contact, wanting to meet with her. Cleo remains an utterly charming but realistic heroine, witty at just the right moments and believably vulnerable in others. Frazier capably balances the humorous antics of Cleo and her pals with the more serious aspects of Cleo’s struggling with her identity, her place in her family, and her place in society as a person of color. Fans of the previous book will happily share in Cleo’s latest passion and look forward to her next big idea. Meyer’s precisely lined vignettes head each chapter.