Starred Review ALA Booklist (Wed Jul 05 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Starred Review This coming-of-age story is told from the perspective of a sixth-grader named Annabelle, who attends a small-town school that runs a different program from the traditional public school. When a new student joins her class, which is composed of the same kids she's known for years, it's a big deal. The bigger deal? Her new friend Bailey is nonbinary, and just like that, her world expands tenfold. Through her friendship with Bailey, Annabelle learns to navigate all the new things she's learning about queer communities while also finding names for her own identity and totally crushing on her new friend. Meanwhile, Annabelle learns that her own dad is trans, and his attitudes about gender cause friction with Bailey's more fluid understanding. Lukoff offers a story with vivid, well-rounded characters that never talks down to kids; Annabelle's teacher attempts to instruct the class in some different perspectives on history, but pushback from the administration (and one very vocal member of Annabelle's class) will likely resonate with plenty of middle-schoolers and encourage them to consider who has power in their own classrooms. Themes of inclusion and privilege in today's society are seamlessly integrated into the familiar plot of a kid's first crush, and the focus on the great ways that communities can come together to keep everyone within them safe is a gratifying through line.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Wed Jul 05 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A girl on the cusp of middle school searches for understanding about herself, her parents, and the changing world around her.At the start of sixth grade, White cisgender girl Annabelle doesn't dare hope for surprises from her final year at her private school in the suburbs of Seattle. She itches to escape and discover wonders awaiting her outside the confines of her neighborhood-like drag brunch. However, her expectations for a boring year are turned upside down when Bailey, a White nonbinary student with the coolest rainbow shoes, and a new teacher with exciting plans for the curriculum join Annabelle's class. Unfamiliar feelings pull Annabelle into a fast friendship with Bailey despite her father's vocal disapproval and her mother's discomfort. Confronting her parents about their attitudes uncovers a side of her family history that Annabelle never could have imagined. Annabelle's first-person narration snaps with vivacious personality and humor. Lively banter and quirky facts contribute levity as Annabelle explores topics that weigh on her like privilege, climate change, privacy, and her own lack of vocabulary to describe her identity. Even adults in the story, particularly Annabelle's father, face challenges to their beliefs that require them to reflect and grow. Lukoff reflects diversity in the world around Annabelle while also heightening her awareness of spaces that are not as inclusive as they claim to be and exploring what to do with that understanding.Inquisitive, engaged, and action-seeking. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A girl on the cusp of middle school searches for understanding about herself, her parents, and the changing world around her.At the start of sixth grade, White cisgender girl Annabelle doesn't dare hope for surprises from her final year at her private school in the suburbs of Seattle. She itches to escape and discover wonders awaiting her outside the confines of her neighborhood-like drag brunch. However, her expectations for a boring year are turned upside down when Bailey, a White nonbinary student with the coolest rainbow shoes, and a new teacher with exciting plans for the curriculum join Annabelle's class. Unfamiliar feelings pull Annabelle into a fast friendship with Bailey despite her father's vocal disapproval and her mother's discomfort. Confronting her parents about their attitudes uncovers a side of her family history that Annabelle never could have imagined. Annabelle's first-person narration snaps with vivacious personality and humor. Lively banter and quirky facts contribute levity as Annabelle explores topics that weigh on her like privilege, climate change, privacy, and her own lack of vocabulary to describe her identity. Even adults in the story, particularly Annabelle's father, face challenges to their beliefs that require them to reflect and grow. Lukoff reflects diversity in the world around Annabelle while also heightening her awareness of spaces that are not as inclusive as they claim to be and exploring what to do with that understanding.Inquisitive, engaged, and action-seeking. (Fiction. 8-12)