Publishers Weekly Review
| After reading online that having a routine can help alleviate anxiety, nonbinary 13-year-old Shai Stern is determined to implement their "new-normal plan" to get their life under control in this luminous read. Forgoing homeschool and starting in-person eighth grade is the first step in their strategy. But entering public school means big life changes, including Shai's leaving behind their Indigenous best friend Moose to remote learning, realizing that they're being placed in ninth grade classes, and reckoning with the fact that cute lesbian Edie--their student guide--assumes that Shai is a girl. Suddenly, nothing is going to plan: their massive crush on Edie, an important school project about Shai's Jewish ancestry, and the growing distance between Shai and Moose triggers Shai's anxiety, and the painful urge to pick at their arms. Via sensitive depictions of Shai's skin picking, as well as sincere prose that yields richly developed characters, relationships, and interactions, Sass (Ellen Outside the Lines) captures the tension and dread of grappling with a hidden illness during a tumultuous transition. Shai's learning to manage their own challenges is palpably wrought, as is their burgeoning understanding that they're not the only one with burdens--and that their presence is a balm for those experiencing troubles of their own. Ages 8--12. Agent: Jordan Hamessley, JABberwocky Literary Agency. (Jan.) |
School Library Journal Review
| Gr 4 Up--Thirteen-year-old Shai has a plan to create a new normal; come out as nonbinary, get a haircut that expresses who they are, attend public school, and stop picking at their arms. Ever since their mom lost her job during the pandemic, Shai has been picking the hairs on their arm and wearing arm sleeves to cover the scars it leaves behind. They believe that going from homeschooling to public school will provide the distraction they need to stop picking. As Shai makes new friends and their relationship with an old one evolves, they learn that no matter how strong you are, sometimes you need support. Shai's struggles sharing their identity with friends, and the growing pains experienced as relationships change will resonate with readers. Shai has a strong support system of adults who care for them, including their mom, mom's best friend, and grandparents. A class project also leads Shai to investigate their family's roots in Judaism and why their mom no longer practices the religion. The potential for romance with a classmate who identifies as a lesbian brings up further conversations on the relationship between gender and sexuality. VERDICT Shai's struggles with identity, anxiety, first love, and faith will resonate with middle grade and young adult readers. A recommended purchase for all secondary school collections.--Ashley Leffel |
Booklist Review
| Hoping to disrupt their secretly mounting anxiety, 13-year-old Shai creates a "new normal" that includes mainstreaming after years of homeschooling. Placed into ninth grade a year ahead, Shai quickly makes friends, but the academic pressure worsens Shai's habit of picking at the hairs on their arms, which they hide beneath fashionable sleeves. After a school project leads Shai to research their Jewish heritage, feelings of not being "enough" of their various identities--friend, gifted student, Jew, publicly gender-fluid--exacerbate Shai's trichotillomania and self-doubt. Sass (Ellen outside the Lines, 2022) writes about intersectionality with plainspoken authenticity and normalizes asking for (and accepting) help from loved ones. The plot and Shai's relationship dynamics read younger than most ninth-grade stories, making this a good pick for upper-elementary and early middle-school students processing their own insecurities around anxiety and identity. The novel includes occasional text message exchanges as well as interstitial journal entries of Shai's poetry, and a note offers online resources about hairpulling. An empathetic portrayal of multifaceted identities and the challenges of facing change. |
Horn Book Review
| Thirteen-year-old Shai Stern is looking for their "new normal." In addition to an edgy new haircut and a change of pronouns, the former homeschooler is planning to attend public school for the first time. Their plan takes a surprise detour when the principal suggests Shai skip a grade and start school as a ninth grader. Shai's transition is even more of a challenge without best friend and homeschool buddy Moose by their side. Thankfully, Shai quickly makes friends with Edie and Nia and even nurtures their first crush on Edie. Balancing the excitement about new connections is an overwhelming amount of homework and a new set of academic expectations, causing Shai's anxiety and nervous skin-picking to return. A school project requires Shai to explore their family's Jewish heritage and how Judaism views people on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. From interviews with family, attending holiday services with grandparents, and witnessing antisemitic vandalism of the family's synagogue, Shai learns more than expected about the importance of acceptance and community. While Sass tackles several heavy subjects in this affecting novel, readers remain hopeful as Shai comes out of each trial a stronger person. Hill SaxtonMarch/April 2024 p.101 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Kirkus Review
| When a genderfluid 13-year-old attempts to handle a health crisis by creating a "new normal" routine for themself, things don't go according to plan. Shai Stern, who is white and experiences sound sensitivity, started picking at the hair on their arms during the pandemic after their mom lost her job, and the two moved in with family friends to save money. To keep their picking a secret, they've been wearing fashionable arm sleeves designed and sewn by best friend and housemate Moose, who's Kanien'Kehá:ka, and they believe that switching from home schooling to public school will help them manage and resolve the picking issue on their own before anyone notices. But this change in education carries unanticipated stressors, including Shai's being identified as gifted and moved up a grade, grappling over coming out at school, and navigating changing relationships with loved ones new and old. When a class assignment gives Shai an opportunity to deepen their understanding of their Jewish heritage and family history, even more questions and uncertainties arise, and the pressure builds. A hopeful but not-too-tidy resolution depicts Shai addressing their challenges and relying on a support network of caring and well-developed secondary characters. The Wisconsin setting is authentically portrayed, and Shai's tenderhearted first-person voice will keep readers rooting for them until the book's final pages. Moving and memorable. (author's note, resources) (Fiction. 8-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission. |
