Ivy’s story is no mere niche-filler in LGBTQ middle-grade realism—it’s a standard-setter.
Twelve-year-old Ivy Aberdeen finds comfort in drawing; she keeps a private sketchbook the way other kids her age keep written diaries.
After a tornado destroys her home, her notebook, filled with things Ivy isn’t ready to talk about or trust with anyone, goes missing, and she feels the last bit of her world drop out from under her. The images are telling; there can be no doubt that the white girl with the “coiling mane” of wild strawberry-blonde hair is 12-year-old Ivy or that she’s holding hands with a dark-haired white girl in every picture. When her drawings begin turning up in her school locker, Ivy’s biggest fear comes true: someone knows her secret. The mystery person encourages Ivy to come out, but whom can she trust? Is she even ready? Blake’s (Suffer Love, 2016) first middle-grade novel is characterized by rich, descriptive prose. The tornado scene is filled with breathtaking urgency as Ivy and her family run for safety, and the descriptions of Ivy’s contradictory and confusing feelings capture the heartbreaking difficulty of a non-normative early adolescence filled with questions of identity and belonging. Most characters are assumed white; the black lesbian who owns the inn where the Aberdeens stay after the storm and who steps in as a surrogate mother while Ivy’s own is occupied with insurance and a sick baby, is engaged to a brown-skinned Latina.
Ivy’s story is no mere niche-filler in LGBTQ middle-grade realism—it’s a standard-setter. (Fiction. 8-14)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-51546-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An engrossing, humorous, and vitally important graphic novel that should be required reading in every middle school in...
Jordan Banks takes readers down the rabbit hole and into his mostly white prep school in this heartbreakingly accurate middle-grade tale of race, class, microaggressions, and the quest for self-identity.
He may be the new kid, but as an African-American boy from Washington Heights, that stigma entails so much more than getting lost on the way to homeroom. Riverdale Academy Day School, located at the opposite end of Manhattan, is a world away, and Jordan finds himself a stranger in a foreign land, where pink clothing is called salmon, white administrators mistake a veteran African-American teacher for the football coach, and white classmates ape African-American Vernacular English to make themselves sound cool. Jordan’s a gifted artist, and his drawings blend with the narrative to give readers a full sense of his two worlds and his methods of coping with existing in between. Craft skillfully employs the graphic-novel format to its full advantage, giving his readers a delightful and authentic cast of characters who, along with New York itself, pop off the page with vibrancy and nuance. Shrinking Jordan to ant-sized proportions upon his entering the school cafeteria, for instance, transforms the lunchroom into a grotesque Wonderland in which his lack of social standing becomes visually arresting and viscerally uncomfortable.
An engrossing, humorous, and vitally important graphic novel that should be required reading in every middle school in America. (Graphic fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-269120-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
A delightful celebration of friendship, fandom, and finding the confidence to be yourself.
Four girls with the same first name bond over music, middle school, and friendship.
A new school year and the dream of attending a Taylor Swift concert set the stage for a sweet, relationship-driven story. Shy, anxious Taylor Bennett, who goes by “Teffy,” starts fifth grade feeling out of place—until she meets three other girls named Taylor, each a devoted Swiftie like her. There’s loyal, bold athlete Taylor “TS” Shaw, imaginative, fast-talking Taylor “Tay Tay” Johnson, and outspoken, magnetic Taylor Perez. Their shared name and their love of the pop star’s lyrics spark an instant connection that helps Teffy push past her fear of making new friends. Together, the Taylors face cafeteria drama, social setbacks, and the ultimate quest: finding affordable tickets to the Eras Tour. The story captures middle school experiences with authenticity and humor, centering on girls who lead with kindness, creativity, and self-empowerment. The conflicts stay age-appropriate—friendship politics, shifting lunch tables, the development of a sense of identity—but the emotional stakes feel real. Teffy’s internal monologue, her admiration for her namesake, and her slow-building confidence are especially resonant. Musical references, an inclusive cast (the Taylors are cued white, Black, and Latine), and a cozy Indianapolis school setting enrich the narrative. Concert dreams and friendship bracelets add charm to this upbeat, affirming tale.
A delightful celebration of friendship, fandom, and finding the confidence to be yourself. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781546176770
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
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