A Tragic Kind of Wonderful

The Bookworm says... Definitely. A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom is a new, YA novel that follows a young lady named Mel Hannigan. Mel is sixteen and she struggles with bipolar disorder. Between hiding her condition, dealing with the past, and friendship troubles (not unlike any other teenager), Mel is struggling to stay afloat. Her method of dealing with the past is pretty much ignoring it, until her once best friends raise questions about the way their friendship ended. When the past is smacking you in the face, it becomes pretty hard to ignore. As she becomes forced to confront the past, the barriers which Mel built so carefully begin to crumble.

"In the vein of It's Kind of a Funny Story and All the Bright Places comes a captivating, immersive exploration of life with mental illness." I read this, claiming similarity to two of my all time favorites, and my expectations were immediately high. After reading, I can confidently say that my expectations were well met, if not exceeded. Lindstrom deals with mental illness both gracefully and truthfully; he draws the important distinction between "You are bipolar" and "You are a person who has bipolar disorder", something that I feel is often overlooked. The system that Mel uses to describe her mental state, comparing parts of her body to animals whose emotions determine her state, is ingenious and incredibly effective; it allows the reader to empathize with someone struggling with bipolar disorder. The story is organized in such a way that the reader is forced to turn the pages as fast as they can, whether they want to know what happened or not. A truly wonderful sophomore novel for Eric Lindstrom; fans of Ned Vizzini, Jennifer Niven, and John Green will eat this up.

"I can't bear the thought of how they'd look at me, and treat me, if they knew how many pills I take every morning just to act more or less like everybody else."

DISCLAIMER: Review is based on an uncorrected proof, Tentative release date is January 2017.

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."