The main character in this story inhabits the awkward social space of two very different worlds. She lives with her widowed father and maternal grandmother in a house where there is money and plenty of books. But she often visits her paternal grandmother, who is Catholic and lives in a home with other people, including the narrator’s cousin, Mariana. This grandmother’s house is poorer, but the protagonist is fascinated by the statue of the baby Jesus in this house, and by the beautiful moonstone rosary kept nearby. Mariana is preparing for her first communion, and the protagonist, in an impulsive moment of jealousy, steals the rosary. Assailed by guilt and sorry for her sin, she eventually flees to the church, where a kind priest comforts her and brings her home. Both her grandmothers rebuke her, but assure her of their love.

Despite a slow start, this is a wonderful story about difference, consequences, and familial love. Loaded with subtext, Cousins is a brave book for its exploration of the tensions that different religious traditions can bring, and for boldly suggesting that these tensions ought to be confronted, not ignored. Luis Garay’s detailed, colourful illustrations reinforce the differences between the households (chipped paint and cracked linoleum in the poorer home, for instance) and capture the intense emotions of the two cousins. A helpful glossary at the back defines the few Spanish phrases in the book. However, short explanations of other elements would also have been helpful; many non-Catholic families, for instance, will not be familiar with the rosary and its importance.