From the Publisher
Consider this an updated Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, allowing for a full range of sexuality, gender, and feelings about puberty. The book’s body-positive, anti-racist, intersectionally feminist message celebrates honesty over niceness—and might just convince readers that math can be exciting.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
“A sensitive, comprehensive look at growing up. Carter deftly creates a world that is both unique and universal and, perhaps most importantly, applicable to young readers. Kids will appreciate and need this content. Highly recommended.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
“Piper is surrounded by a warm, wonderful, and well-rounded group of characters. The novel explores serious themes but Piper and Tallulah are so vibrant that they keep the story moving at a satisfying pace.” — Booklist
“With complexity and warmth, Carter centers a seventh grader with big plans for her future, none of which involve growing up.” — Publishers Weekly
“Sparks eloquent insights. Thought-provoking….Perceptive.” — Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
2023-12-16
A seventh grader grapples with the onset of puberty.
Eleven-year-old Piper Franklin, a gifted white girl, has taken puberty blockers since age 7 to delay precocious puberty. Now, her endocrinologist has cleared her to stop the injections. But Piper has no intention of entering puberty. Hormones and periods will only distract her from the upcoming academic decathlon, and she and BFF Tallulah—a girl from her gifted program who’s Black and has ADHD—are determined to win. Piper’s baby sister is distracting enough, frequently demanding Mom’s attention. Worse, womanhood means being weighed down by myriad indignities, something Piper dubs the Wordless Chain and struggles to name. Even metaphorical math—Piper’s attempt to explain emotions via mathematical concepts—can’t make Mom understand her reluctance to start puberty, and tensions rise despite her stepfather’s mediation. But as Piper develops a crush on Ivan, a Black trans boy from her support group for kids “having a tough time with puberty,” and hangs with her supportive older half sister, growing up seems more inviting…except for that Wordless Chain. Language for said Chain comes extremely late, and readers will share Piper’s increasing frustration as she struggles to articulate her dilemma. Ivan’s and Tallulah’s dialogue sparks eloquent insights into trans identity and neurodivergence (respectively), and Piper’s interspersed notes on the metaphorical math of friendship and family are thought-provoking. Unfortunately, the resolution of one major plot point strains credulity and echoes the trope of a disabled character inspiring nondisabled people.
Perceptive but uneven. (Fiction. 8-12)
