Lily and Dunkin

The Bookworm says... Yes! Donna Gephart's Lily and Dunkin is a fantastic new piece of middle grade fiction. Tim McGrother- wait, scratch that- Lily Jo McGrother has always known she is a girl, but it's hard for her to show that because she looks like a boy. It's even harder because her dad is not supportive AND she's in eighth grade. Her only friends are her best friend Dare and her older sister,, Sarah. When a new boy named Norbert moves into Beckford Palm Estates, he and Lily are fast friends. She nicknames him Dunkin after he admits he is embarrassed by his given name. Dunkin just moved to Florida from his life-long home in New Jersey and is having a hard time adjusting to the heat in Florida, and all the changes brought by the move.  The adaptation process is even harder when coupled with the fact that Dunkin struggles with bipolar disorder. In an attempt to fit in at his new school, Dunkin befriends the group of jocks that run the eighth grade- the same boys that love to bully Lily. Lily and Dunkin are both trying to survive eighth grade, but with the baggage they each carry it's sure to be difficult.

I have one (and only one!) negative thing to say about this novel, so I'm going to write that first: one of the protagonists is named Norbert "Dunkin" Dorfman, and is referred to as Dunkin most of the time. From my perspective that's much too similar to The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer. Enough negativity!! This book is SO important- it's exactly what Middle Grade needs more of. It features a transgender child, a child with bipolar disorder, a lesbian couple, a peaceful protest to save wildlife, and more. Most importantly, it's written for Middle Grade readers!! There's a huge problem in society with inequality and injustice based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and luckily that is a widely recognized fault. A major part of this problem is our reluctance to have conversations with young people about different sexual orientations, and about the fact that there are more than two genders that one can identify as. That is why books like Lily and Dunkin are so important. They not only teach young readers important life lessons, they start conversations and open doors. Who knows- a child may read this book and realize that they feel exactly like Lily does, and then be comforted by the fact that they aren't alone. A child with bipolar disorder may read this book and feel less isolated when they see a character that struggles with the same things they do. Books can do amazing things, and I have a feeling this one will. Perfect for fans of Alex Gino's George. 

"A long time ago, Mom taught me that when someone makes you suffer, it's because his own pain is spilling over."

You're Welcome, Universe

The Bookworm says... Definitely. You're Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner is a debut novel that is sure to have an excellent reaction from YA readers everywhere. Julia is a sixteen year-old Indian American girl who attends the Kingston School for the Deaf. And yes, she is Deaf. When a sexist slur degrading her best friend appears on the wall behind the gym, Julia paints a graffiti mural over it. Her supposed best friend rats her out, and Julia is expelled from Kingston School. Forced to integrate into a mainstream public high school with the help of an interpreter, Julia is lonely and treated like an outcast. She takes to painting anywhere she can get away with-street signs, scoreboards, overpasses- desperate to make her mark through her art. After someone starts adding their own touch to her pieces, Julia retaliates. She unknowingly gets herself into a small-scale tagging war, and she's willing to risk everything to show her rival what she's made of- she won't  let some small town vandal take away the one thing she truly understands. 

There are so many reasons that I love this book as much as I do. First of all, it is a shining example of the diversity we need in YA: a Deaf Indian-American girl with two moms living in New York. What's not to love about that? When I initially heard the premise of the story, I was excited by the potential but also scared by how bad that could go very quickly. That being said, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. I love the way Gardner explores Deaf culture- insightful and educational. I feel like I learned a lot about Deaf culture while reading this. Throughout the whole novel there is betrayal, romance, jealousy, disappointment, and fear, all of which (as a high school student) I struggle with weekly. My only negative comment is the derogatory use of the "r-word". That is something I can never get behind, no matter what. To quote the Goodreads page for the book, "A vibrant, edgy, fresh new YA voice for fans of More Happy Than Not and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, packed with interior graffiti." Also perfect for those that enjoyed I'll Give You the Sun. Fans of Adam Silvera, Becky Albertalli, and Jandy Nelson, come running! 

"How do I explain the rules of a game that has no rules?"

DISCLAIMER: Review is based on uncorrected advance proofs bound for review purposes. Tentative publication date is March 7, 2017. 

*****EDIT 8/18/16 5:54 PM: The "r-word" will not appear in the hardcover version of the book when it is published. Looks like I have nothing negative to say about You're Welcome, Universe :)

Shiny Broken Pieces

The Bookworm says... Yes!!! Shiny Broken Pieces, sequel to Tiny Pretty Things, by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton is a gripping story that exposes the nasty side of the ballet world. As they enter their senior year at the ABC Conservatory, June, Bette, and Gigi are competing for the two apprentice spots at the American Ballet Company. With their futures on the line, there's no room for playing nice. June has to choose between ballet and true love. Bette has to fight her way back into the conservatory after being suspended for harming her rival dancer. Gigi has to show all the girls that bullied her that she is resilient and they won't keep her down. Combining these struggles with the pressure of senior year at ABC Conservatory someone is destined to crack. Which two dancers will continue to work with ABC as apprentices, and which dancer will have to  sacrifice her dream?

Shiny Broken Pieces does a beautiful job exposing the ugly side of the ballet world: the eating disorders, drugs, gossip, bullying, sex, and scandal. The most meaningful praise I can give to this novel- I didn't even realize it was a sequel, nor had I read Tiny Pretty Things, but I still loved it. Aside from being slightly confused on several occasions, I still really enjoyed it. The narrator changes each chapter, alternating between the three girls. That switch helps the reader become more invested in each dancer, and allows them to choose one dancer to root for the whole time (team Gigi!). Perfect for fans of The Clique series by Lisi Harrison and for fans of Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard.

"You love to dance. You live to dance. But dying to dance? No... This I will not allow."

Thicker Than Water

The Bookworm says... Yes! A harrowing tale of drug addiction, Thicker Than Water by Kelly Fiore stands out from other YA fiction. After a knee injury forces Cyrus out of soccer, he falls into the grip of a painkiller addiction. As his drug habits overtake him, they overtake the whole family. Cece is at a loss, standing by and watching her brother waste away- her mom passed away and her dad turns a blind eye, so it's up to her to save Cyrus. It doesn't make sense that Cece would kill him, but that's what the police are saying: that Cecilia murdered her elder brother.

Thicker Than Water is terrifying, horrible, ugly, and above all, honest- all the things a story about drug addiction should be. Kelly Fiore experienced the effects of drug addiction on a family first hand, and she did a beautiful job of describing it in ways that YA readers can understand and relate to. Nothing was sugar coated or covered up, which I appreciated greatly. The brutal honesty in Cece's story sets Thicker Than Water apart from its YA counterparts.

"In the end, it's not about where you came from, but where you're going."

Ask Me How I Got Here

The Bookworm says... Maybe. Ask Me How I Got Here by Christine Heppermann is a YA fiction novel written completely in verse. When cross-country star Addie gets pregnant, her whole life is put on hold. Once she makes the decision to have an abortion, everything changes. She sees new sides of people she thought she knew, and gets closer to people she didn't.

Though I enjoyed reading this, I wouldn't say I loved it. The story was simple and short, with the major conflict being seemingly resolved very early on. I found the way the novel is structured to be distracting and I think the verse takes away from the reading experience. It was short and sweet and perfect fro anyone looking for a quick beach read.

"They pull us in, push us down, cover our mouths with hands we thought we knew."

Places No One Knows

The Bookworm says... Yes! Places No One Knows by Brenna Yovanoff is a super unique, captivating piece of YA fiction. Waverly Camdenmar is a text-book definition perfect student. She takes AP classes, has the best GPA, runs cross-country (and wins most meets!), is part of student council, and has popular friends. Since she is such a perfect student, it's surprising that she falls for Marcus Holt. Marcus Holt is a text-book definition slacker. He parties all the time, smokes between classes, skips school, and almost never does homework. Waverly has one flaw that draws them together- she doesn't sleep for days at a time. One night when she finally hypnotizes herself into a deep sleep, she dreams herself into Marshall's bedroom. From that night on, she must decide if she can risk everything she stands for for a a boy she knows only in her dreams.

I really, truly loved Places No One Knows. I picked up an advance reader's copy at ALA Midwinter back in January, and I'm so happy I finally had a chance to read it. I think the main reason I enjoyed it so much is that I see myself in Waverly. Not  in the sense that I stay up all night and dream my way into the bedrooms of mysterious boys, but more in the sense that I understand the pressure Waverly puts herself under. Whether or not you consider that a bias is up to you, but I really love this book.

"The effectiveness of your persona is inversely proportional to what people know about you."