An absolute must for our grade 4/5 school library. In addition to tackling racism from a white person's POV (explained in Gino's author notes), it also explores the Deaf culture, and in a more subtle way, same-sex and interracial relationships. It's age-appropriate for grades 3 and up. ( )

diverse children's middlegrade fiction (White 7th-grade girl with Deaf baby sister develops friendship with Deaf Black 7th-grader in Piedmont/Oakland, CA; social justice/racist microaggressions/Black kids being killed by police officers; incidental LGBTQ characters)
This is mostly Jillian learning how what people say can be hurtful (intentionally or not) to the Deaf community and to Black people. She makes mistakes but is fortunate to have friends and family with whom she can discuss problems and confusion; she becomes more mindful of what she says and furthermore she learns to speak up when she witnesses racist remarks or microaggressions in her extended family against her aunt's Black wife and kids, and also opens up a conversation with her parents about the social injustice she sees happening. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I like the idea of having diversity in a book. Though this focus's on Jilly P who is white and her journey to learn ASL for her sister it tackles the tough conversation about racism and how those who are deaf need to be able to navigate life with multiple obstacles. ( )

The sophomore offering by Alex Gino packs in a LOT of topics.

Racism & White Privilege, Able-ism, Deafness/deafness ...

Jilly P is a middle school kid who is getting a new baby sister. She is also a big fan of a hot trilogy & she spends time each day on line with other pre-teen fans awaiting the final book release and rehashing details of the 1st two novels. When it looks like her infant sister might be deaf or hard of hearing Jilly turns to her online friend (Derek - who is deaf, black & Oakland Proud) for guidance. But sometimes her questions come off like judgments & the new friends work on navigating how to talk about hard subjects. When Dereks' friend & tutor at his school is shot by the police the ability to communicate beyond their own experiences becomes even more complicated.

This middle school novel takes a head on look at Race (the author explains that they are specifically writing this book for white kids to be able to start looking at racism & white privilege)- especially around police shootings of black Americans, and deafness/Deafness and the Deaf community relations with the hearing community. There is a good appendix which can encourage deeper exploration & conversation. And despite hitting some very heavy topics - a lot of the book is fun, light & joyful & the characters are captivating. ( )

Recommended Ages: Gr. 4-7

Plot Summary: Jilly is SO excited. Her baby sister is due any day now! But life crashed down on her and her family when they learn baby Emma was born deaf. It's hard to take in the information from all the doctors, especially when Jilly doesn't agree with some of the advice, like not using any hand gestures, even waving. Thankfully, Jilly has a friend in her online fan club for her favorite book that is deaf, so she tries to learn more from him. And boy does she learn, asking question that make Derek mad. How will she figure everything out if she can't ask questions?

Side plot: Jilly's family gatherings are awkward and uncomfortable with aunts, uncles, and gram making comments about Jilly's black aunt and cousin. Jilly is trying to figure out how, as a white girl, to handle the awful comments and show her support towards the cousins she loves.

Setting: ?? - drive 53 miles to family for holidays

Characters:
Jillian Pirillo -
Macy - Jilly's best friend, speaks in acronyms with Jilly's dad
Mom -
Dad -
Emma - Jilly's baby sister
Aunt Lou and Uncle Saul -
Aunt Joanne and Uncle Mike -
Aunt Alicia and Aunt Joanne - married, two kids from Alicia's previous marriage, Alicia is Black
Justin & Jamila - 3 & 5 y/o, Jilly's cousins
Derek - Jilly's friend from online fan club, Deaf, Black, uses ASL

Recurring Themes: racism, deaf, family, friendship

Controversial Issues:
pg 87 "Dad pulls himself a beer from the fridge and heads into their room"

Personal Thoughts: I really, really wanted to love this one. It would have been perfect for Parent Child Book Chat because of the opportunities for deep discussion, however I just wasn't impressed with the writing. I felt it was slightly didactic and a little slow. However, still a very important book to have on our shelves.

Genre: realistic fiction, family drama

Pacing: slow
Characters: not well developed
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity: ( )