Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG Bullying; a lot of it, mostly verbal but tripping and bumping etc. as well
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
12yo Max Plink has a Class II malocclusion - a pretty significant overbite. She's worn braces for a while, but now the orthodontist wants to try adding headgear to her treatment to hopefully avoid surgery. Max wants to be a journalist, and has looked forward to the annual Journalism Competition, but this year, the submissions have to be submitted by video. It's bad enough that the people at school see her face, she's not ready to make a recording of herself that might go on the internet. The Bullies are terrible right now, the worst of them is her very own sister - what might happen if she makes a video that goes viral?
Based on the cover illustration, I expected Jawbreaker to be a humorous story about a girl and her braces. It was heartbreaking, more about a family in crisis, school bullies and the trouble kids have fitting in. I loved how Max was able to use her position on the paper to write articles about what she was facing. I didn't love most of the teachers at the school - I feel like bullying that obvious would have been shut down by the teachers quickly, and acknowledged by the administration sooner. Max and her family are white.
Lisa Librarian
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