JUDE SAVES THE WORLD

Middle schoolers navigate friendship and identity.

Twelve-year-old Jude Winters is out as nonbinary to their mom and gay best friend, Dallas, and changed their name at school, but they aren’t out more widely, and this is most distressing when they visit their old-fashioned grandparents. When former soccer star Stevie is friend-dumped by the popular and malicious Tessa, rumors spread that it’s because she has a crush on another girl, and Jude and Dallas invite her into their friendship. Underrepresented identities are given a welcome highlight; unfortunately, the story is undermined by thin plotting and limited character development. Jude often needs support for their ADHD and muses that their fatness makes them less legible as nonbinary. Dallas seamlessly fits the trope of the angelic Black best friend, and his race is only mentioned when it feels convenient for the story. The treacly dialogue involves middle-aged–sounding middle schoolers patting each other on the hand, affirming each other’s identities through dialogue that feels unrealistic for the age group, and saying that they love each other, while most characters’ growth journeys feel unearned and contrived. Although the author’s note indicates the intention not to reveal Jude’s gender assigned at birth, readers will be able to infer it from an early scene; as a result, there is a missed opportunity to explore the ways their gender assignment has impacted how Jude moves through the world.

Well intentioned but forgettable.