Middle-Grade LGBTQIA+ Books

(3) 4-6 In Alan Cole Is Not a Coward, Alan came out as gay to his classmates but not his parents. Now, he'll only be allowed to apply to an art academy if he takes Dad's boss's daughter to a middle-school dance; he also faces bullying and navigates a crush. This accessible, funny novel is honest about challenges queer kids may face while still giving them a hopeful ending.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) 4-6 Alan conceals many things about himself from many people, especially the fact that he is gay. His bullying older brother Nathan threatens to out Alan unless he competes with Nathan in a rigged set of tasks. The Labors of Hercules for the middle-school set (complete with underwear jokes), this debut novel is also a compelling examination of homophobic families and generational patterns of abuse.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(3) 4-6 During two weeks at Camp Rockaway, drummer Melly processes her parents' just-announced divorce, her changing best-friendship, and her first crush on a girl. Meanwhile, she and her bandmates learn how to listen to and support one another. This summer-camp crushmance is filled with realistic characters, witty dialogue, and frequent music references. Hand to tween readers who loved Pérez's The First Rule of Punk.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Hazel and her younger sister have been moving around the country with Mama for two years, ever since Hazel's other mother died in a kayak accident for which the protagonist blames herself and which left her with visible scars. Now, they've arrived for the summer in Rose Harbor, Maine, where the ocean is difficult to avoid despite Hazel's fear of it since the accident. While Mama, reunited (perhaps a bit too coincidentally) with her first love Claire, begins to move on, Hazel's processing of her own grief is slower, though helped along by the friendships she forms. The novel surrounds her with people who affirm her need for patience, notably Claire's daughter Lemon, who is herself grieving the loss of her twin sister; and Jules, a friend who is nonbinary and on whom Hazel develops a crush. Blake (most recently The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James, rev. 3/19) balances many plot elements, often serious ones, without overburdening the narrative, to create a character-based, atmospheric novel with a strong sense of place.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) 4-6 When a tornado destroys twelve-year-old Ivy's rural Georgia home, her distress is compounded by the loss of her notebook full of drawings of herself holding hands with another girl. Then someone begins returning the drawings to her locker with notes. This sensitive portrayal of Ivy's first crush and internal conflict around coming out believably melds with concerns about her large family and her place in it.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old heart transplant recipient Sunny is seeking a "New Life," including finding a better best friend (her old one outed her as bisexual) and a kissing partner. A girl named Quinn is willing to help--an endeavor that raises more questions than answers. Meanwhile, Sunny's long-absent mother is back in her life. Measured revelations of backstory and emotion-infused first-person narration balance major upheaval with private questions of identity.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Tara Anderson. Nine-year-old Jeannie and her new pet hamster, Sapphire, share narrating duties as both attempt to make sense of the world. Jeannie's father has recently moved out; she later learns he's dating a man. Friendship with a transgender neighbor helps Jeannie come to terms with the changes in her family. Brenna skillfully handles contemporary issues with a believable child's point-of view and plenty of gentle humor.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) 4-6 Mia, the twelve-year-old protagonist of this accessible graphic novel, keeps to herself in school and is bullied over her autism. But she shines as Elle-Q, an alter ego known only to her friend Charlie, with whom she makes music videos that have gained an online following. Laura, who's among the class bullies at first, is a huge Elle-Q fan, and a friendship gradually develops between her and Mia over what's ostensibly just a shared fandom. (Though the girls take some time to figure this out, they both have secret online identities.) Pressure from Charlie to make the act more public than Mia feels ready for complicates matters and adds to her sense of being overwhelmed. Mia's increasing eagerness to be--and to advocate for--herself is encouraging, as is the casual diversity among the other characters (light-skinned Mia's classmates have a variety of skin tones; Charlie is dark-skinned and nonbinary). Varied page layouts in the digital illustrations hold interest, with panel boundaries especially breaking at moments of strong emotion--and when Mia feels free as Elle-Q.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) 4-6 Since the Preacher burned her mother as a witch, Goldeline has been living with minor thugs in the forest, helping to rob travelers. Cajoleas doesn't mince words when depicting the Preacher's cruelty and violence (his crusade also includes homophobia), and the graphic descriptions match the dark tone of Goldeline's narration. With her blend of self-sufficiency and vulnerability, Goldeline is a sympathetic protagonist, and the vivid setting makes for compelling reading.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Caroline--born during a hurricane, abandoned by her mother, and bullied at school for having the "darkest skin"--is certain she is cursed. Things change for the better when new student Kalinda arrives. Caroline's immediate, present-tense narration thoroughly immerses readers in her struggles to mend her broken family and confront her feelings for Kalinda. Callender's debut masterfully deploys the rich landscape of Caribbean life.

Reviewer: Anastasia M. Collins | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(1) 4-6 In their second middle-grade novel (Hurricane Child, rev. 5/18), set in contemporary small-town Louisiana, Callender masterfully balances resonant themes of grief, love, family, friendship, racism, sexuality, and coming-of-age. Twelve-year-old King copes with the sudden death of his beloved older brother, Khalid, who used to talk in his sleep while dreaming about visiting another universe. King believes his brother has "left his body behind like a second skin" and become a dragonfly. He tries to keep Khalid close by remembering the dreaming Khalid's philosophical musings ("There's no such thing as happiness. No such thing as sadness, or anger, or anything else...There's just you...That star inside you"). Meanwhile, King is keeping secrets: his friend Sandy has run away from an abusive father (the town's sheriff), and King is sheltering him; Sandy is gay, and so, King gradually accepts, is he. Both boys know they are facing homophobia, which will be even more oppressive for King because it's compounded by racial prejudice (King is African American; Sandy is white). Callender's portrayal of tween angst and awakening--including King's authentically devised evolution--anchors this deeply affecting, memorable novel. Well-rounded supporting characters are believable and relatable in a story line that addresses serious issues with unreserved honesty and heightened sensitivity.

Reviewer: Pauletta Brown Bracy | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2020

(3) 4-6 Quiet and reserved, Evelyn is the product of a strict and structured home life. Newcomer Queen, on the other hand, revels in his uniqueness and remains unfazed by the bullying his name inspires. While the friendship that develops between these two can only be expected, it is Evelyn's emerging acceptance of her own creativity that brings the novella to a satisfying conclusion.

Reviewer: Viki Ash

(2) 4-6 At eleven-year-old Liv's new school, boys can wear pants, but "girls must wear a black, pleated, knee-length skirt." And while narrator Liv might "look like a girl...on the inside, I'm a boy." Strong-willed, introspective Liv is a likable and relatable protagonist navigating friendships, identity, and relationships at home with his two supportive moms. A touching novel on a timely subject.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(2) 4-6 Since they moved there when she was two, rising seventh grader Alberta and her dads have been one of the few Black families in Ewing Beach, California. Her mean-girl neighbor, Nicolette, won't let her forget it. "It's just that you're, like, different." Her best friend Laramie doesn't consider it. "You're just you...I don't really think about you being black." When Edie and her mom move in across the street, Alberta is excited that there will be another Black girl her age in town, especially as her friendship with Laramie is being tested (by Nicolette). Edie discovers some old journals in her attic bedroom, and she and Alberta quickly become wrapped up in trying to figure out who the author, Constance, was and how her journals ended up there. Several chapters include Constance's journal entries, allowing readers to share in the mystery with Alberta and Edie. Alberta's authentic-sounding struggles with race, friendship, family, and belonging are very much a part of the middle-school experience. Many readers will easily relate to Alberta--and will enjoy the additional narrative layer of solving the mystery of Constance.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(2) 4-6 Raised by her two papas on a remote island (the setting is loosely based on the Azores), Henna has a gift for plants, so when she learns her papa Niall has incurable cancer, she vows to save him using her plant knowledge. Tales of a nearly extinct specimen with miraculous healing powers, the nightwalker, send her off-island to St. Basil's, the botanical secondary school where a nightwalker seed is rumored to be stored in a secret repository. Henna and another student who calls themself P are both admitted on scholarship, with the requirement that they act in service to fellow new student Lora, the wheelchair-using daughter of the exorbitantly wealthy Windover family. At first standoffish, Lora confides her desire to do more things for herself and later provides help when Henna and P's efforts to find the seed land them in trouble. Issues of disability accessibility, gender identity, and grief and loss figure heavily, yet naturally, in the intertwined storylines. Dairman evokes a Victorian plant-hunter aesthetic while skirting the border of fantasy (the nightwalker is described in magical terms as able to "walk" up the trunk of its host plant, the orange tree), although the affecting ending lands the book squarely in realism. Readers intrigued by the wonders of the natural world will find a kindred spirit in Henna, whose determination and unwavering love for her papas propel this story to its dynamic conclusion.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Caroline Hadilaksono. Nine-year-old Sumac (from The Lotterys Plus One) cherishes each of her racially diverse, blended family's holiday traditions. When a destructive ice storm hits Toronto, thwarting the return home of one dad and a favorite brother and knocking the power out, new traditions must be born. As ever, there's an abundance of quirkiness and wordplay, but the warmth, humor, and affection in both text and black-and-white illustrations are undeniable.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(3) 4-6 After one of their two mothers dies, sisters Fella and Zany sneak off from Fella's grandmother's West Virginia house to scatter Mama Lacy's ashes in their hometown of Asheville. This 2004–set road trip novel is full of mishaps and funny sisterly arguments; it also sheds light on logistical and emotional complications prior to legal same-sex marriage.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Federle wraps up Nate's story (Better Nate Than Ever; Five, Six, Seven, Nate!) by taking his title character from Broadway to a new stage: high school. There he comes out as gay to his classmates and spearheads a musical production of Great Expectations. Smart and snappy prose, lighthearted drama, and great characterizations make for an entertaining and moving trilogy finale.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(2) 4-6 When Holly's family moves, she decides to remake her image--as well as that of her family--and tells her new seventh-grade classmates that her two mothers are actually sisters. Garden convincingly delineates Holly's ambivalence toward her parents, and the book's problem-novel aspects are well balanced by the more general theme of a kid's desire to fit in and be liked.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2000

(3) 4-6 Eighth graders Lily Jo and Dunkin both dislike their birth names (Timothy and Norbert, respectively) and struggle with the ways they feel their bodies betray them: for trans Lily because others assume she is a boy, and for bipolar Dunkin because he needs mood stabilizing and antipsychotic medication. While their tentative friendship is repeatedly tried by bullies, Gephart delivers an optimistic novel full of hope and heart.

Reviewer: Kazia Berkley-Cramer

(2) 4-6 Ten-year-old George is, outwardly, a boy. But inside, she's a girl, and that disconnect is becoming impossible to endure. There are setbacks, but with the help of a few allies, particularly best friend Kelly, George prevails. Gino can employ a heavy hand, but the heart of this novel is George's achingly poignant struggle to be herself, and that heart beats strong and true.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2015

(2) 4-6 This verse novel follows sixth grader Noah as he processes his grief over the death of his best friend, Lewis, in a car accident. The two were connected by things the world didn't necessarily understand: a shared interest in the elusive cryptid Mothman and their own gender identities. Known to their families and friends by their assigned genders and birth names, the friends had shared their true identities as boys only with each other, making the loss even more heartbreaking for Noah. To honor Lewis's memory, Noah (whose autism spectrum disorder is naturally incorporated) decides to dedicate his science fair project to proving Mothman's existence. Through letters to Mothman, written in a journal that he leaves at the edge of the woods, Noah finds the companionship he is desperate for, which eventually leads to his bravely seeking out new friendships. Gow draws poignant comparisons between the misunderstood Mothman and Noah's burgeoning understanding of his queerness. "I think monsters are here / to make people like me feel less alone." Noah's journey through grief and coming out to the world is authentically messy and joyful.

Reviewer: Hill Saxton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(3) 4-6 In 1977 North Carolina, two middle-school girls fall in love. Allie is mourning her brother's death and her parents' divorce; Sam struggles under her parents' conservative Christian values. Through Allie's narration, Hitchcock shows the pain that arises when loving someone means you aren't accepted by your family and your community. The moving story contains wise, empathetic characters as well as many funny moments.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(2) 4-6 Before her disappearance, eleven-year-old Riley's mother told him the story of the Whispers, invisible beings who, in exchange for "tributes," will grant people their hearts' desires. When Riley himself hears the Whispers, he's willing to do anything to get Mama back. Riley is an unreliable narrator, but he's a thoroughly sympathetic one, and it's easy to root for his eventual understanding of the truth.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(2) 4-6 Theater camp is not how introverted twelve-year-old Maren Sands had planned to spend her summer. Nevertheless, she finds herself following in her sister Hadley's path at Camp Goodman. Maren generally avoids the stage, but she gains attention on the first day by finding the camp director's missing phone. This leads to her involvement in a mystery that dates back to the camp's 1960s founding. Maren follows clues, all connected to Twelfth Night, which seem to be leading her to a diamond ring allegedly hidden at the camp in its early days. Along the way, she processes feelings about Hadley's diagnosed depression and her parents' preoccupation with it. Interwoven are episodes from the life of Charlotte "Charlie" Goodman, sister of the camp's founder, who grew up in Hollywood and (supposedly) died while directing her first film. Key does a good job of bringing in such topics as the 1940s Hearings Against Accused Communists in Hollywood and related "Lavender Scare" without letting history overwhelm the storytelling (back matter provides more detail); and of allowing the book's themes of gender and sexuality to develop organically. (Having the closing day of camp coincide with the Supreme Court's decision legalizing same-sex marriage is a nice touch.) The book's primary villains, a classic mean girl and a menacing corporate executive, are more types than characters, but many others, particularly Maren; her nonbinary bunkmate, Theo; and her movement instructor, Eartha, are more satisfyingly developed.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Fern's family is frustrating. Then her three-year-old brother Charlie dies after a freak accident and readers feel the family's grief, and Charlie's absence, acutely. A possible romance with her best friend Random is a sign that all can be...if not well, then maybe okay. This is a powerful portrait of a flawed but loving family that experiences the unthinkable--and survives.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2012

(1) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old Rachel feels the pressure of several issues at once: her parents' money troubles; her best friend Micah's romantic feelings (though she's told him she doesn't think she likes boys); her job tending her dilettante "farmer" neighbors' menagerie. The novel's tight focus on time and place--everything happens within the range of a bike ride, in the beginning of summer--magnifies the intensity of Rachel's circumstances and her emotional response.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old aspiring writer Sara is less than thrilled when Mimi, one of her two mothers, wins a writing fellowship that comes with a cross-country train trip for the family. She "rebels" in precocious-kid fashion by writing in her journal rather than being sociable, and the novel is mostly her diary entries. Levy provides an amusing romp across the country, full of relatable family quirks.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(2) 4-6 Melleby and Sass bring together the middle school–aged protagonists they each created for the 2021 short-story anthology This Is Our Rainbow (co-edited by Melleby and Katherine Locke) in this novel set at a camp for LGBTQ+ youth. Melleby's Abigail (she/her/hers), all but ostracized by her friends since she admitted to a crush on one of their mothers, begs her parents to send her to the camp. Sass's Kai (e/em/eir) attends under protest: eir parents sign em up after a bullying incident. The two newbies form sometimes-bumpy relationships with each other and with the more seasoned campers in a safe but not necessarily awkwardness-free space. There's a heightened awareness (even more than in other settings) that anyone might be romantically interested in anyone else--or might not. There's also, realistically, a wide range of knowledge about and comfort with queer identities among the kids: one of them launches a campaign for a more inclusive camp name ("there's no letter in the QUILTBAG acronym for pansexual kids, plus a lot of others"), while Kai tries to remember what pansexual means. Intersectionality in the differences between campers adds another dimension, especially in the area of religion: Abigail attends Catholic school; Kai is "kind of" Jewish and tentatively learns more about Judaism from another camper. This engaging, gently affirming novel should be valuable to young readers exploring their own identities or curious about those of others.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(2) 4-6 Sixth grader Fig feels obliged to downplay the effects of her father's bipolar disorder so that she and her dad can stay together. Neighbor Mark's help turns into a romantic relationship for Dad; the novel also includes another coming-out story--Fig has a crush on an older girl--but integrates these elements naturally. Details involving art and science lend specificity and keep the plot lines from feeling overly formulaic.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) 4-6 While her advice-columnist neighbor is away, thirteen-year-old Sweet Pea is charged with forwarding her correspondence. A letter from a former best friend prompts Sweet Pea to take the column into her own hands. Murphy's first novel for slightly younger readers is full of funny seventh-grade moments; narrator Sweet Pea also offers more serious reflection about the people in her small Texas town--a cast diverse in ethnicity, sexual orientation, and body size as well as in attitudes.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(1) 4-6 Wanting grownups to emulate, Archer Magill applauds his uncle Paul; that Paul turns out to be gay is not a crisis. Uncle Paul's life and romance don't overwhelm Archer's dramas involving teachers, friends, enemies, and a dying grandfather, all of which roll along with brio and feeling. We're not done needing books like this; comic and matter-of-fact, Peck's latest steps out to lead the way.

Reviewer: Gregory Maguire | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2016

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Lucy Knisley. Ten-year-old Penny writes letters in her journal to her unborn baby sister detailing the challenges she's facing at school and in her family. The daughter of two mothers in the days leading up to the Supreme Court's ruling on marriage equality, Penny's loving heart and compassionate nature shine brightly. Strong characterization and a subplot about Penny's school heritage project add depth to this fast-moving family story.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(2) 4-6 After winning the title of U.S. Juvenile Girls Champion in figure skating, twelve-year-old Ana-Marie Jin is ready to start a new season on the ice, competing at a higher level and commuting most days from San Francisco to a new rink in Oakland. It also means ­working with a new choreographer who is not only strict but requires all female skaters to wear skirts, even to practice. Ana starts to notice that "girly" things at which she had previously never blinked an eye, such as being referred to as "Miss Ana-Marie" and wearing a bedazzled costume for competitions, now make her cringe. With help from new friend Hayden, a transgender skate student she meets at the rink, Ana begins to see her gender in a new, fluid way: "Uncertainty feels like less of a burden and more of an opportunity." Ana's family (a single-parent Chinese American Jewish family) is not one frequently represented in middle-grade stories. For all of the protagonist's discomfort, the tone of the story remains hopeful as she works toward a new understanding of herself. She decides to continue using her given name and pronouns--a helpful reminder that there is no one way to identify as nonbinary. The personal connection of the author, a figure skater who identifies as nonbinary, to the story is evident within its pages in both the nuances of figure skating and Ana's interrogation of gender, and is explained in a thoughtful note at the end.

Reviewer: Hill Saxton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) 4-6 The incoming eighth-grade Spanish students from Ellen Katz's Georgia prep school take a summer field trip to Barcelona. Ellen, who is autistic, is sometimes overwhelmed by the surprises the trip presents, starting with an unexpected team scavenger hunt. Several parts of the experience lead Ellen to realize that identity isn't always clear-cut, from her father's choice to eat non-kosher food while he's chaperoning to a teammate's use of they/them pronouns. Ellen is a satisfyingly well-rounded character with complex relationships who makes mistakes and learns from them. She figures things out about herself, including trying out an adjustment to her--or maybe sometimes their--own pronouns. The presence of multiple queer characters allows for a variety of feelings toward what to share and how big a deal being queer is or isn't. The amazing-to-imagine (if unlikely for most readers) school trip provides an appealing backdrop, but it is the story's interpersonal aspects that are especially welcome.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Sarah Tanat-Jones. "We've worked really hard to turn things people hate about us into things we love about ourselves--even the word queer!" Sicardi proudly writes in an inspiring introduction. The LGBTQ heroes presented range from teen gun activist Emma González to trans moviemakers Lana and Lilly Wachowski to Oscar Wilde. Sans organization but with lively portraits and design embellishments, the scrapbook-like volume is best for browsing. Glos.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(2) 4-6 As this believable epistolary (via email) novel begins, twelve-year-olds Bett and Avery are strangers (and adversaries) thrown together at sleep-away summer camp by their bi-coastally dating fathers. The girls gradually become friends--even as their dads are breaking up. Parent Trap–type shenanigans ensue, but the story's main focus is the strength of chosen family. The warmth of the characters' interactions, including the girls' witty banter, is emotionally satisfying.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old December, who unwaveringly believes she will fly, is changing foster houses. Again. But maybe new foster mother Eleanor's house will be different. December befriends a classmate in gender transition, withstands mean-girl abuse, and reluctantly grows to depend on Eleanor, who offers her space without expectation. December's complicated bird-identity coping strategy feels genuinely childlike, and Stark-McGinnis weaves it through the story with such consistency that it makes equal sense to readers.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(1) 4-6 From the outside it appears that Bea lives a charmed life. She has loving (albeit divorced) parents; an involved extended family; a kindly, funny teacher; a loyal best friend; a dog and a cat; and a wise therapist. Even situations involving life changes, such as her gay father's upcoming wedding and the prospect of a new stepsister, seem to be curiously unfraught. But with Stead's fiction (When You Reach Me, rev. 7/09; Goodbye Stranger, rev. 7/15), appearances are always deceiving. It turns out that Bea's upbeat spin on life is papering over some major anxieties and some serious problems with anger management. Bea is keeping two secrets. She lets us in on one of them, a piece of well-meaning interference in the wedding plans that turns out to be a disaster. The other secret, hidden in plain sight but only revealed at the climax, involves deliberately causing harm to another person. The strength of this novel lies in Stead's authentic, respectful, low-key approach to the emotional life of a ten-year-old as recalled from the perspective of her slightly older self (Bea is twelve when she tells the story: "a story about me, but a different one, a person who doesn’t exist anymore"). Difficulties with spelling, the pleasures of gummy bears, the pain of eczema, the ability to sense adult tension--we are fully present with Bea, in the rich, crisply rendered details and in her distinctive voice.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old film buff Maisie's weekly movie routine is disrupted by a love triangle she's not ready for. Meanwhile, several changes within her family fuel conflicts. Distinctive characterization is a significant strength here, and Maisie's response to her friend Cyrus's coming-out is all her own. A late-in-life romance for Grandma lightens the family story line, but this honest novel should give tweens plenty to think about.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017