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You know, sex : bodies, gender, puberty, and other things!
2022
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Kirkus Review
In their third title together, Silverberg and Smyth build on their middle-grade title Sex Is a Funny Word (2015) to explicitly talk about puberty, bodies, gender, and sex for tween and teen audiences. Mimi, Omar, Cooper, and Zai are back and ready for their sex-education class at Jordan Middle School. The creators get their ideas across through descriptive illustrations as well as vignettes that feature the four main characters and others. In what many readers will recognize as their signature approach, they tackle often confusing topics (you know, sex) against a delightfully diverse backdrop of skin tones, body sizes, and abilities in a fun, text-heavy style infused with warmth, humor, and emotional intelligence. The visual representations of changing bodies are especially impactful (labias! hair growth!), as is the inclusion of information about critical topics such as boundaries, consent, and clear communication that are too often left out of sex-ed curricula. In a preliminary note to readers, Silverberg advises that they may need to take breaks given the intensity of some of the material. More white space or a clearer visual demarcation of the excellent activities that appear after individual sections would have been helpful, as the combination of the boldly colored, striking visuals and at times heavy topics may leave readers overwhelmed. Dipping into this ambitious work, especially with a caring, trusted adult, may be the best way to digest the multitude of topics covered. A necessary title for young people to explore. (glossary, index, resources) (Nonfiction. 11-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Summary
2023 ALA RAINBOW BOOK LIST
WINNER 2023 DOUG WRIGHT AWARD

A completely new approach to learning about puberty, sex, and gender for kids 10+. Here is the much-anticipated third book in the trilogy that started with the award-winning What Makes a Baby and Sex Is a Funny Word

"Silverberg's writing is fearless . . . Here is that rare voice that can talk about the hardest things kids go through in ways that are thoughtful, lighthearted and always respectful of their intelligence."
-Rachel Brian, TheNew York Times Book Review


In a bright graphic format featuring four dynamic middle schoolers, You Know, Sex grounds sex education in social justice, covering not only the big three of puberty-hormones, reproduction, and development-but also power, pleasure, and how to be a decent human being.

Centering young people's experiences of pressures and joy, risk and reward, and confusion and discovery, there are chapters on body autonomy, disclosure, stigma, harassment, pornography, trauma, masturbation, consent, boundaries and safety in our media-saturated world, puberty and reproduction that includes trans, non-binary, and intersex bodies and experience, and more.

Racially and ethnically diverse, inclusive of cross-disability experience, this is a book for every kind of young person and every kind of family.

You Know, Sex is the first thoroughly modern sex ed book for every body navigating puberty and adolesence, essential for kids, everyone who knows a kid, and anyone who has ever been a kid.
Table of Contents
Letter to the Readerp. 9
Introductionp. 14
1What is Sex?
What is Sex?p. 30
That Time You Learned about Sexp. 33
Sex Wordsp. 40
2Bodies
The Way of Bodiesp. 46
Discovering our Bodyp. 53
Boundariesp. 60
Body Autonomyp. 71
Privacy and Private Partsp. 80
Middle Parts: Inside and Outp. 87
3Gender
Your First Assignment: Sexp. 102
Girls, Boys, and the Rest of Usp. 109
Gender Identitiesp. 114
Gender Feelsp. 124
Gender Rolesp. 131
Pronounsp. 137
4Puberty
The In-Between Timep. 142
How to Prepare and What to Expectp. 148
5Feelings
Crushes, Love, and Sexy Feelingsp. 187
Sexual Orientationp. 198
6Consent
What Is Consent?p. 206
Giving and Getting Consentp. 215
7Talking about Sexp. 238
Stigmap. 243
Sharingp. 254
Talking about Having Sexp. 259
8Relationships
Relationship Factsp. 266
What Makes a Familyp. 272
What Makes a Friendp. 277
Boyfriends, Girlfriends, and More than Friendsp. 283
Monogamy and Non-Monogamyp. 288
9Reproduction
What Makes a Babyp. 296
How You Make a Babyp. 304
Being Pregnantp. 311
Being Bornp. 320
Birth Controlp. 326
10Touching
Having Sexp. 334
Kissingp. 340
Sex by the Book: Masturbation and other kinds of Sexp. 344
Pornographyp. 357
Deciding about Sexp. 365
11Safety
Powerp. 372
Harassment and Bullyingp. 377
Secret Touchp. 391
Traumap. 401
Sexually Transmitted Infectionsp. 410
The Last Classp. 416
Glossaryp. 421
Indexp. 426
Resourcesp. 428
Acknowledgmentsp. 432
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