Language: PG (4 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (lots of maturation talk, Ollie's period is a big part of the plot, reference to boobs, nipples etc.); Violence: G;
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SOME
12yo Ollie does not want to become a woman. She's not afraid of growing up, she's just certain that she's not a girl. But she also doesn't think she's a boy. Ollie is somewhere in between. But this is the age where everything starts happening to your body. The boys won't let her play hockey with them anymore because she's too much of a girl, and her girl friends are embarrassed by her for acting too much like a boy. But when she's invited to join the LGBTQIA book club, she finds a group of friends who understand what she's going through.
A well-written coming of age story, it's got all the stuff - Ollie's mother has passed away, and sister moved in with her boyfriend, so no one really expects dad to help her navigate puberty, which, because she is questioning her gender, makes this whole thing terrifying and extra awkward. She's seeing the trouble Stella, a trans girl in her book group, is having with parents objecting to which bathroom she uses and feels both fear for herself and guilt for not standing up better for her new friend. A good window or mirror if your library needs more LGBT titles, particularly with a non-binary main character. Ollie is Persian and White and non-binary
Lisa Librarian

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