By Ari Koontz
Published by Macmillan
Mom's Review
I could not put this one down! The principal is written as the most wonderfully despicable villain - it feels so satisfying to hate him! Don't worry, though - the other characters have more depth and complexity to them. And Elsie is hard to not like as she tries her best to fix a problem and certainly screws it up along the way. What kid hasn't made things worse in trying to clean up some sort of mess? She's relatable and likeable, as are the friends she makes during her fifth grade year. And her experience of injustice at school? I've seen it as a teacher and as a parent and as a child. In Elsie's case, her school curriculum is not serving its students; Elsie uses what she learns about puberty through her church's no-nonsense, scientific, thorough Sunday school classes to answer her classmates' questions about what is going on with their bodies and emotions. All this while trying to deal with crushes (her best friend's on a boy, hers on a girl), impending middle school, BFF fights, and a school administration who is trying to silence her because of what some parents might say. It's tense and full, like a fifth grader's life.
As a Catholic parent, librarian, and educator, I am so happy to see a character like Elsie who pursues knowledge, makes information available to others, and advocates for equal and dignified treatment of all people. What a model for young readers! Children who enjoy school drama stories and are ready to learn about "the birds and the bees" (a phrase Elsie uses rhetorically in addressing the principal's unwillingness to recognize facts) will enjoy this page turner.
And for those celebrating this month (our city celebrates Pride in September to welcome back all the college students here): Happy Pride!
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