Asking for a Friend and The Body Confidence Book

Riley, Ronnie. Asking for a Friend
June 4, 2024 by Scholastic Press
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

Eden Jones is a white, nonbinary tween who has social anxiety, something their mother thought might be lessened with a move to a new school. Eden has been lying to their mother, telling her that they have plenty of friends, so when the mother makes plans for a 13th birthday party, Eden panicks, since their are no actual friends to invite. Duke Herrera, a Filipino trans boy with ADHD, does make some overtures and is nice to Eden, who is very wary of anyone, given experiences from the past. When Eden came out as nonbinary at their previous school, best friend Nikki scoffed and said that it wasn't a real thing. Eden, who identifies as asexual and biromantic, tries to make friends with Tabitha. Tabitha is in foster care, and no one knows that she is a lesbian, so she welcomes a queer friendship. The three spend a lot of time at a bookstore, and are always glad to see books that mirror their own experiences. Soon Jackie, a genderqueer boy, is joining their group, but when Eden becomes friendly with Ramona, who plays volleyball, Duke warns against her. There are some problems that the tweens face, such as Tabitha having to move to a new foster home, but even that turns out well, when Tabitha finds out that her new foster parents are also queer. Duke and Eden squabble over whether to include Ramona, who identifies as cisgendered and pansexual, in their group, since Ramona has exhibited some mean tendencies in the past. With their birthday party fast approaching, and their mother making financiial sacrifices to host it, will Eden be able to confindently invite true friends to the party?

Strengths: Even though Eden has a lot of anxiety, this is a book that centers queer joy, and Eden has a lot of support. Even Duke knows the techniques for dealing with panic attacks and helps navigate them in a really helpful way. All of the characters are sensitively and thoroughly identified, even while there is a strong message that these identifications can change as one grows. Pronouns are always shared, and even though the characters attend a "very white, very cisgender, heterosexual school", there are efforts to have a petition for a gender neutral bathroom, and there are not a lot of problems with bullying portrayed. Like the situations in  this author's Jude Saves the World, the problems that Eden faces are eventually resolved in satisfactory ways. 
Weaknesses: The characters spend a lot of time having philosophical conversations about their identities, which slows down the book in spots. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like books with a variety of queer characters,  like Sass's Ellen Outside the Line or medina's The One Who Loves You Most. 

Diedrichs, Phillippa and Wilkinson, Naomi (Illus.)
The Body Confidence Book: Respect, accept and empower yourself
June 4, 2024 by Frances Lincoln Children's Books

E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this brightly illustrated nonfiction book, Dr. Diedrichs outlines techniques for living a happy and healthy life free of societal expectations to adhere to unrealistic norms. Many topics are covered, including body activism. There is a glossary of terms at the end of the book, and well as resources. There resources include not only books, but websites such as one that has academic photo galleries of different private parts so that young readers who fear they are "different" can see a wide array of what is considered "normal". This would make a great gift or a purchase for a public library and embraces the current zeitgeist surrounding body positivity.