Written and Illustrated by Emma Steinkellner
Dustin has invited his classmates to his house for an end of the year pool party, but nobody’s going to come. When Maya, the popular/mean girl, decides to make an appearance, then everybody shows up. There is a pair of girls, Juhi and Liv, who are experiencing a friend breakup because one is moving. There’s another girl, Rose, who was forgotten in the graduation lineup and is determined to make herself be seen. Lastly, there is Paul, the introvert, who plans on hanging out and playing video games all night.
This book does a great job balancing multiple storylines and points of view. All the characters have their moments to shine and it comes perfectly together in the end. This light and entertaining book on tween troubles is the perfect end of the school year read.
Reviewed by Kristen Hunt, Librarian, Whittier Elementary School
Review shared in May 2026
Rating: ★★★★✩ (4 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 4-7
Last Day Pool Party
Written and Illustrated by Emma Steinkellner
Labyrinth Road
167 pages
Release Date: April 7, 2026
ISBN: 979-82-17-03143-6
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
