June 16, 2026 by Feiwel & Friends
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Elsie is attending a Sunday school class at the Unitarian Universality church, where the kids are learning about puberty. Most of it feels awkward to Elsie, and it's even worse when her mom and dad (who is transgender) want to discuss what was covered. When people at her school find out that she is attending this class, she's made fun of by some students, but others ask her questions. She gets notes in her locker, and after consulting with Nate, her biological father, posts answers on her locker. She tells her mom and dad, who ask if she inquired about posting these things, since she could get in trouble. She eventually does, and is told that her information conflicts with the school sanctioned curriculum, where students get just one hour of instruction at the end of fifth grade. Elsie, who is just starting to realize that she might be attracted to girls, feels that the administration is really objecting to the LGBTQIA+ content. With the help of one of Nate's friends, she starts a zine to address some questions, and during an assembly, encourages her peers to pepper the principal with sex education questions on a wide range of topics. This gets her in more trouble, but when her parents all come to school, they mention that perhaps the ACLU could get involved. In the end, the decision is made to allow Elsie to answer questions with the help of the school counselor, and post answers by the counselor's door, out of the way of the main hall.
Strengths: I can't say that I have ever read a middle grade book with a character who goes to a Unitarian Universalist church, even though I have many friends who do. The class is a good one, and there is a laundry list of topics that it covers right in the beginning. Elsie acknowledges that while the class is awkward, talking with her parents would be worse. She makes a very reasoned attempt to inform her classmates, and I appreciated that she reached out to all of her parents for help at different times. Having her applying to a different school worked well for the plot, and added some tension. Fifth grade seems like a time when children are starting to figure out to whom they are attracted, and Elsie's exploration of her own feelings seems age appropriate. The author is from Ohio, where there is very little sex education mandated on any school level. It is a difficult topic, and not everyone agrees that this is the responsibility of public schools, so this book could start some good conversations.
Weaknesses: I could never buy into Elsie's motivation for spreading information, especially since it might have imperiled her acceptance into a school she really wants to attend. The parents' interactions with the principal also didn't really ring true to me. There would have to be district policy about posting things, and the principal wouldn't have much control over what was taught. Younger readers will not have these objections and will appreciate Elsie's outspoken perseverance to educate her classmates.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Lukoff's Different Kinds of Fruit or McCullough's Code Red If you are considering purchasing this for an elementary or middle school library, I would make sure to read the book so you know what it contains.
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