Told in multiple voices, seventh-grader Libby sets off a chain of events that brings hope and encouragement to four different individuals across the country who are dealing with bullies, acceptance, homelessness, and grief. - (Baker & Taylor)
The award-winning author of The Benefits of Being an Octopus presents the tale of how a small act of kindness from one bullied kid to another ripples through the lives of four marginalized young people in need of support. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)
One small act of kindness ripples out to connect four kids in this stirring novel by the author of the beloved The Benefits of Being an Octopus.
Libby comes from a long line of bullies. She wants to be different, but sometimes that doesn’t work out. To bolster herself, she makes a card with the message You are amazing. That card sets off a chain reaction that ends up making a difference in the lives of some kids who could also use a boost—be it from dealing with bullies, unaccepting families, or the hole that grief leaves. Receiving an encouraging message helps each kid summon up the thing they need most, whether it’s bravery, empathy, or understanding. Because it helps them realize they matter—and that they're not flying solo anymore. - (Penguin Putnam)
Ann Braden is also the author of The Benefits of Being an Octopus, which was an NPR Best Book of 2018 and is currently on 10 state lists. She founded the Local Love Brigade, which has chapters all over the country sending love postcards to those who are facing hate. She also founded GunSenseVT, a grassroots group championing the common ground on the issue of guns in Vermont, which helped pass landmark gun violence prevention legislation. She is a former middle school teacher, the co-host of the children's book podcast "Lifelines: Books that Bridge the Divide," and a co-organizer of #KidsNeedMentors. Ann lives in southern Vermont with her husband, two children, and two insatiable cats named Boomer and Justice. - (Penguin Putnam)
Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* Libby makes cards with encouraging messages and leaves them in public places. Over a three-week period, her art connects an unlikely group of people, and the narrative develops each individual's story, gradually providing clues about their homes, families, and schools. Libby feels bullied by her own family, who wants her to play softball and be tougher. Jack is mourning the death of his younger brother, feeling guilty about the the accident that killed him and for not defending him more from their dad. Vincent's well-intentioned single mother is puzzled by his unusual clothing choices and devotion to math, triangles, Katherine Johnson, and puffins. In addition to those three seventh-graders, 16-year-old T has chosen to leave their family and live on the street rather than deny their nonbinary identity. Braden (The Benefits of Being an Octopus, 2018) sensitively demonstrates how isolating it can be to live with people who, despite good intentions, force their children to fulfill expectations that run counter to their own senses of self. Jack's school becomes involved in a funding debate related to gender-neutral bathrooms, resulting in a 12-year-old explaining to a kindergartener what it means to be trans. Vincent really wants to know if T "is a ‘he' or a ‘she,'" but T suggests using they. Inspired by Libby's cards, all the characters find ways to encourage each other, be less alone, and connect. Grades 5-7. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.
Kirkus Reviews
Three seventh graders struggle with family, community, and self. Libby and Jack live in a rural Vermont populated with broadly drawn families: entitled men, submissive mothers, bullies, and government-averse hunters with a fear of gender nonconformity. After opening in Vermont, the story shifts to Vincent, who lives in Seattle and is mocked by his peers due to his obsession with triangles, love of puffins, and unconventional clothing choices. The contrived conflict vaguely centers around trans and nonbinary youth, who are positioned as a problem to be resolved. A local bureaucrat threatens to withhold funds for Jack’s school, citing a number of policy violations, including the absence of a gender-neutral restroom. Jack defends his school’s right to run as it pleases, and, in the process, the well-meaning but clumsy boy makes comments that a horde of strangersâ€"some angry, some more constructive in toneâ€"interprets as transphobic. Ultimately, the comments lead him to understand things differently, including a matter that cuts close to home. Vincent meets T, a nonbinary homeless youth whose perspective is wrought through brief, poetic italics and who functions mainly to teach Vincent important lessons about gratitude and strength. Libby, the least involved in the conflict, also has the least-developed story arc and mainly functions to unite the narratives through postcards. This story puts forward many messages but never coheres as a story and treats trans and nonbinary youth as convenient plot points rather than fully developed human beings. Characters default to White. Mildly inspirational at best. (Fiction. 9-13) Copyright Kirkus 2021 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
