Agatha Isabel's Houseplant Hookups is the perfect book for people whose brown thumbs have let many a plant die. Clear explanations, a friendly tone, and lots of humor ease plant-shy readers into trying for plant love again. Isabel begins with tips for choosing a plant and maintaining a relationship, including self-reflection and assessment of lifestyle, needs, and areas of possible compromise. The main portion of the book is organized as dating profiles for specific plants. Each one-page profile begins with basic information about the plant's light, water, humidity, and temperature needs, as well as a difficulty rating. Information about the plant is provided through answers to common dating app prompts, like "My best feature is..." and "The key to my heart is...." This provides a quick and fun assessment of the plant's match factor with a person's home environment and lifestyle. If browsing profiles don't help readers decide, they can take the "Plant-Based Personality Quiz" for the plants Isabel suggests as good matches for their results. An index with plants organized by levels of difficulty and needs also lets readers find plants to fit their specific situation.
Houseplant Hookups is a great plant guide, but it's also a really fun read. Isabel makes many references to pop culture, including popular hashtags. The dating angle adds the right touch of whimsy without overwhelming the topic itself, and Mai Ly Degnan's illustrations allow readers to visualize the plants in a variety of home settings. --Dainy Bernstein, postdoc in children's literature, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign