06/01/2021
Gr 5–7—Seventh grade couldn't toss any more twists and turns at Kate McAllister. Her mother has left for Utah to try to move up the ladder in her multilevel marketing cosmetic company, leaving the girl with her police officer father. She and her childhood best friend, Haddie, have stopped hanging out since Kate became science lab partners with popular Taylor, who pulls Kate into a new group of cool friends. But when the new friend group focuses their teasing on Haddie with a game of keep-away that sends her falling through thin ice to retrieve her hat, Kate jumps to the rescue. The video Taylor films of Kate rescuing Haddie goes viral, and Kate is thrust into the media spotlight as the poster child for anti-bullying. Kate starts to question her role in what happened to Haddie and who her true friends are, eventually confronting whether she really is "Kate the Great." Swinarski adeptly presents multiple, and at times conflicting, sides of Kate in her struggle to figure out who she is and who she wants to be. Kate is cued as white. VERDICT With a well-developed protagonist, this book tackles bullying, friendship, and parental roles. For library collections seeking books covering issues of social media and social justice.—Rebekah Buchanan, Western Illinois Univ., Macomb, IL
2021-03-03
Kate is changing for better, worse, and everything in between.
Seventh grade is starting, and Kate’s mom has moved away, leaving her with her dad. She has been growing apart from former bestie Haddie, a nonconformist who doesn’t feel like a good fit for Kate anymore. Popular mean girl Taylor, who befriends Kate, may not be the best fit, either. But Kate is—mostly—happy to be in Taylor’s orbit, where she doesn’t have to talk about her situation the way she would with Haddie, who is genuinely interested in her life. Kate even follows along when Taylor’s clique harasses Haddie, resulting in Haddie’s fall through the ice on a frozen pond. Narrated by Kate, the scene and her ugly, conflicting emotions are vividly described. Instinct kicks in, and Kate saves Haddie. Video of the rescue makes national media, and celebrities dub her Kate the Great. Is she? Tensions mount, and Kate anxiously treads water until her full role in the incident is exposed, forcing her to confront Haddie, Taylor, her mother, and herself. Kate must decide who she is: bully, hero, friend, foe, beloved daughter, dependent, all of the above. Characters are three-dimensional and realistically flawed, as Kate becomes increasingly aware. The resolution feels familiar but Kate’s solution is unique; she won’t be defined by one moment. This messy middle-school drama shines a light on what it means to develop identity.
Illuminating. (Fiction. 8-12)
"An engaging and inspiring novel about standing up for what's right, being your authentic self, and finding the strength to use your voice." — Lynne Kelly, author of Song For a Whale
"This messy middle-school drama shines a light on what it means to develop identity. Illuminating." — Kirkus Reviews
The Kate In Between is a perfect portrayal of the middle school struggle to fit in and find one's true self. Kate's voice had me hooked from the first page. Outstanding! — Lisa Greenwald, author of the Friendship List series
Well written and on point, Swinarski’s middle-grade take on the mean-girls novel will resonate with readers looking for a realistic story that doesn’t gloss over choices or consequences, giving them complex ideas to contemplate. — Booklist
"Swinarski adeptly presents multiple, and at times conflicting, sides of Kate in her struggle to figure out who she is and who she wants to be. With a well-developed protagonist, this book tackles bullying, friendship, parental roles, social media and social justice." — School Library Journal
"An engaging and inspiring novel about standing up for what's right, being your authentic self, and finding the strength to use your voice."
Well written and on point, Swinarski’s middle-grade take on the mean-girls novel will resonate with readers looking for a realistic story that doesn’t gloss over choices or consequences, giving them complex ideas to contemplate.
The Kate In Between is a perfect portrayal of the middle school struggle to fit in and find one's true self. Kate's voice had me hooked from the first page. Outstanding!
Well written and on point, Swinarski’s middle-grade take on the mean-girls novel will resonate with readers looking for a realistic story that doesn’t gloss over choices or consequences, giving them complex ideas to contemplate.
