Spin with Me

by Ami Polonsky

Overview

From the author of the critically acclaimed Gracefully Grayson comes a thoughtful and sensitive middle-grade novel about non-binary identity and first love, Ami Polonsky's Spin with Me .

In this elegant dual narrative, Essie is a thirteen-year-old girl feeling glum about starting a new school after her professor dad takes a temporary teaching position in a different town. She has 110 days here and can't wait for them to end. Then she meets Ollie: delicate, blue eyes, short hair, easy smile. At first, Essie thinks she has a typical crush on a beautiful boy. But as her crush blossoms, she soon realizes that Ollie is not a boy or a girl, but gender non-binary.

Meanwhile, Ollie is experiencing a crush of their own . . . on Essie. As Ollie struggles to balance their passion for queer advocacy with their other interests, they slowly find themselves falling for a girl whose stay is about to come to an end. Can the two unwind their merry-go-round of feelings before it's too late?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250802095
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	02/15/2022
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 12.00(h) x 3.60(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ami Polonsky is the author of the critically-acclaimed Gracefully Grayson and Threads. She is a sixth-grade English teacher and a parent of two kids, one of whom exists happily beneath the trans umbrella.

Editorial Reviews

A BookRiot Best Book for Pride Month!

Recommended Reading for NEA's Read Across America 2022-23

"Hopeful and real, this story is electric. There’s a lot to love here; recommended as a first purchase everywhere." —School Library Journal, starred review

"Polonsky (Gracefully Grayson, 2014) has written a hopeful and insightful text for young readers to explore gender and sexual identity through an enticing story of friendship, family, and first love." —Booklist

"Polonsky (Gracefully Grayson) sensitively handles Ollie’s gender identity while fully fleshing out their character. The novel makes a compelling argument, reinforced by an extended optical illusion metaphor, for looking at the world from another’s lens." —Publishers Weekly

"Bigotry against Ollie is briefly addressed in one scene but is done so tactfully; it is clear that a great deal of empathy has gone into this narrative. The romance and chemistry between Essie and Ollie are also enjoyable. A charming, feel-good LGBTQ+ story." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2021-02-17
Esther, who goes by Essie, moves to a new state and falls in love.

Essie relocates to North Carolina with her dad for a semester as part of his job as a professor. She says a temporary goodbye to her old friends but soon meets nonbinary Ollie and develops a crush on them. Essie helps Ollie out with the school’s LGBTQ+ club while starting to question her own orientation because of her feelings for Ollie. The narrative is split into two halves, the first narrated by Essie and the second by Ollie, which cover the same time span, helpfully marked by a day count. Gender identity forms a large part of the narrative, but Ollie’s nonbinary gender is portrayed as a natural part of them rather than a big issue or wow moment. Ollie’s relationship with their mother is adorable and heartwarming, with their mother using the rather sweet and gender-neutral “kiddo” to refer to them. Bigotry against Ollie is briefly addressed in one scene but is done so tactfully; it is clear that a great deal of empathy has gone into this narrative. The romance and chemistry between Essie and Ollie are also enjoyable. Essie and Ollie are both White while two of their mutual friends are Black and Latinx.

A charming, feel-good LGBTQ+ story. (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews