THE INDEPENDENTS

A group of seventh graders help a new girl find her missing journal in Jones’ middle-grade novel.

A new school year is starting at Kentland Junior High School, and among the incoming students is Avery, who’s just moved to the suburb with her parents, who wanted their daughter to have a well-rounded education with a diverse student body. Avery is smart and, according to her mother, “an independent thinker,” but she has trouble making friends. This changes when her classmate Skylar invites her to sit with her and her pal Natalie during lunch. Skylar is confident and funny, and she’s had to take on more responsibility around her house since her mother died. Natalie is more reserved, but she’s determined to challenge herself and connect with new people. When Avery loses her private journal at the school library, her new pals help her in her search. Skylar recruits her practical friend Damien, whose mother is in the Army and currently deployed. He, in turn, ropes in his friend Chris, whose older brother has just left for Marines basic training. Chris misses him, especially since their parents’ divorce, as now he’s alone with his emotionally immature, racist mother. He joins the mission, but he has a secret: He’s in possession of Avery’s journal. Jones’ book, featuring occasional grayscale illustrations by Shipman, is a delightfully entertaining story that explores friendship and family dynamics. The tale unfolds through the third-person perspectives of Avery, Chris, Damien, Skylar, and Natalie, all of whom are well-developed, compelling characters. The book touches upon themes such as race and separation from one’s parents in ways that young readers will find relatable. The diverse cast includes Avery and Skylar, who are Black; Damien, who’s described as having brown skin; Natalie, who’s Latina; and Chris, who’s white. Natalie appears to be neurodivergent, although it isn’t explicitly stated: “[Avery] focused on Natalie’s lunch. There were a bunch of brightly colored, square plastic containers, and each one had a different food or sauce in it...‘Nat doesn't like for her food to touch,’ Skylar said.”

A fun, thoughtful story about making friends and adjusting to change.