JUNE 2022 - AudioFile
Shannon Tyo narrates this middle-grade audiobook about friendship and the power of belief. Mallory never meant to exclude new girl Jennifer Chan, but Jennifer’s belief in aliens and her open, sunny attitude mark her as just too weird. When Jennifer runs away, the story splits into “before” and “after” sections revealing the truth about how Mallory and others treated Jennifer and how they treat each other. Tyo voices Mallory’s anxieties with powerful precision, emphasizing how differently she behaves around different friend groups. Tyo’s specific tones for each classmate create a diverse soundscape of preteens. Carolyn Kang brings a contrasting brightness to her narration of Jennifer’s journal entries, and author Tae Keller gives an affecting afterword about the emotional damage caused by bullying. N.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
I absolutely loved this book! Tae’s glorious writing had me hooked and her characters, so wonderfully imperfect and nuanced, felt instantly relatable. She had me wondering which is more mysterious: extraterrestrials, or the beautiful, occasionally-heartbreaking intricacies of friendship.” –R. J. Palacio, New York Times bestselling author of Wonder and Pony
"Keller’s skillful interior narration puts us inside Mallory’s skin, even when it makes us uncomfortable." —The New York Times
★ “A mesmerizing look at bullying and its aftereffects.” —Kirkus, starred review
★ “By setting the victim, the missing Jennifer, into the narrative background, Keller directs the flood light onto Mallory and company and aims responsibility (and possible redemption) right where it belongs.” —The Bulletin, starred review
★ “With an appeal to a wide variety of readers, this genre fusion is highly recommended for all library shelves.” —School Library Journal, starred review
★ “The emotionally absorbing story is full of thought-provoking explorations on self-confidence, forgiveness, and friendship while illuminating parallels between alien and human struggles.” —Booklist, starred review
★ “Keller uses a vulnerable first-person narrative that alternates between past and present to sensitively detail the emotional roller coaster of navigating changing social rules, the anxieties of being oneself, and the process of coming to terms with one’s flaws.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
JUNE 2022 - AudioFile
Shannon Tyo narrates this middle-grade audiobook about friendship and the power of belief. Mallory never meant to exclude new girl Jennifer Chan, but Jennifer’s belief in aliens and her open, sunny attitude mark her as just too weird. When Jennifer runs away, the story splits into “before” and “after” sections revealing the truth about how Mallory and others treated Jennifer and how they treat each other. Tyo voices Mallory’s anxieties with powerful precision, emphasizing how differently she behaves around different friend groups. Tyo’s specific tones for each classmate create a diverse soundscape of preteens. Carolyn Kang brings a contrasting brightness to her narration of Jennifer’s journal entries, and author Tae Keller gives an affecting afterword about the emotional damage caused by bullying. N.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2022-03-02
This story about one girl’s reaction to another seventh grader’s disappearance reveals the internal impact of bullying.
Mallory Moss, a 12-year-old girl in a small Florida town, was the first to meet Jennifer Chan. Chinese American Jennifer moved from the Midwest into the house across the street during the summer. Mallory, who is Korean and implied White, knows that the new girl will have trouble once their predominantly White, Christian school begins: For one thing, Jennifer believes in aliens. Alternating between chapters labeled “Now” that are set in the present day and “Then,” describing events before Jennifer vanishes, the book dives right into the action as Jennifer goes missing in the first chapter. Texts start flying between Mallory and her friends as they worry about what Mallory calls “the Incident” with Jennifer that took place a few days before her disappearance. While the search for Jennifer intensifies, Mallory replays prior events with growing dread, looking for clues. The storyline slowly reveals cracks in friendships, with Mallory questioning her responsibility for many pieces of this puzzle. Keller successfully captures the emotional ennui of middle school tweens who are jockeying for social status, anxious and riddled with doubt, and yearning for a sense of identity. There is clearly enough hurt to go around, and this story provides one solution for getting through dark days.
A mesmerizing look at bullying and its aftereffects. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)
