Planet Middle School

August 1, 2011

A young tomboy comes of age on and off the basketball court.

In free-flowing free-verse poems, multi–award-winning author and poet Grimes (A Girl Named Mister, 2010, etc.) here explores the riot of hormones and expected gender roles that can make negotiating the preteen years such a challenge. Twelve-year-old Joylin "Jockette" Johnson prefers jeans, T-shirts and one-on-one basketball games with her father or friend Jake to conforming to the more demure, feminine image her mother has of her. Sassy, self-assured Joy enjoys the simple math of her life—"friends / plus family / plus sports"—until she begins to notice "two weird mounds ruining / the perfect flatness / of [her] chest" and gets her first period, which she deems, "the end of life / as I know it." Beset by physical changes, Joy also finds herself witness and prey to unfamiliar behavior; Jake begins to show interest in her friend KeeLee, and Joy herself tries to adopt a more feminine persona to attract the attention of Santiago, a fellow basketballer with "sweet brown curls / bouncing above killer green eyes." Though Grimes' plot development is rather predictable—a life-threatening accident leads Joy to reassess her priorities—her accessible verse and clear themes of self-acceptance and open-mindedness ring true.

A work that should help adolescent readers find the courage and humor to grow into the individuals they already are. (Verse fiction. 9-14)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from December 1, 2011

Gr 5-8-Joylin, 12, has always been comfortable in her own skin. Then strange things start to happen. She begins to notice boys; her forever friend and b-ball buddy, Jake, begins to treat her differently on the court; and Joylin and her best girlfriend, Kaylee, develop different interests. Joylin feels like an "alien" who finds herself in "Planet Middle School" by mistake, "searching for that spaceship/that's gonna take me home." She tries to morph from a tomboy in baggy jeans and an old T-shirt into someone more feminine, trying lipstick, heels, and a skirt, each with disastrous results. That she emerges from these oh-so-embarrassing episodes effectively provides reassurance and hope. Joylin's voice is revealed in spare, well-paced verse. Her recognizable emotions and actions become tangible as she learns that appearances are not always what they seem; that staying true to one's self is ultimately the most successful way to grow and mature. Young and adult characters are plausible, likable, and supportive of one another. For example, when Joylin realizes that the object of her infatuation does not reciprocate, her mother holds her "close/long enough for me to leave/a puddle on her shoulder, /long enough for me to feel/some of the hurt drain away." The story is by turns touching and laugh-out-loud funny, and readers will appreciate the time they spend with Joylin, her family, and her friends as they live, grow, and learn as individuals and together.-Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.