How to Be a Girl in the World

May 1, 2020
Lydia, 12, would rather swelter in heavy clothes in the August heat than endure her mom's boyfriend, Jeremy, touching her bare skin. Without saying why, Lydia gives her cousin Emma, 11, who lives with them, the candy he slips them. Jeremy's not the only male threat in Lydia's world: Andrew and their male Catholic school classmates find ingenious ways to look up her skirt. Knowing her friends happily seek male attention that sickens her, she keeps her reactions to herself. Is it normal to enjoy this? Lydia, who's white, has distanced herself from Emma, whose mother is deceased and who longs to live with her dad. (Emma's biracial; her mom was black and her dad is white.) Emotionally isolated from her squabbling, divorced parents, Lydia dreads hurting her attorney mom; her bartender dad often cancels their scheduled visits. Dreading the day Jeremy will move into their new house, Lydia discovers it contains a room with herbal extracts and a book of spells she hopes will offer needed protection. This ambitious novel covers significant, rarely explored ground. Do manspreading, unchecked sexualized teasing, and sexual predation share a continuum of exploitation? Who gets to define each? Why most female characters here accept these behaviors with passive resignation or active welcome remains frustratingly unexplored. Also hovering unacknowledged is the role of sexual objectification as a societal norm and value. A flawed but urgent read set in the fading #MeToo era, this is sure to ignite mother-daughter book club debates. (Fiction. 11-13)

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June 22, 2020
Eleven-year-old Emma, who is biracial (black/white), lives with her 12-year-old cousin Lydia and her mother, both white, while Emma’s single father is in rehab. When Lydia’s divorced mom buys a large dilapidated Brooklyn house as a surprise for her boyfriend, Jeremy, Lydia hopes that the house will provide magic to protect her from the unwanted attention of male classmates and Jeremy’s discomfiting touches. She’s been battling both by wearing heavy clothes, even in August.But as both Jeremy’s hugs and her classmates’ attentions increase, Lydia wonders if her discomfort is normal, building into tense inner conflict and fears that are well-rendered and relatable. As Lydia grows reticent to trust adults with her concerns, a confession from Emma and an incident at school persuade her to take drastic magical measures to keep both girls safe. The uneasiness Lydia feels with unwanted male attention and peers who suggest that she should covet it sends a powerful message about the male gaze and the importance of individual consent. That message, however, may be occasionally clouded by Carter’s (One Speck of Truth) inclusion of magic as a means of exercising autonomy, which in places dilutes the idea that young people need real-world support to combat genuine problems. Ages 8–12. Agent: Kate McKean, Howard Morhaim Literary.

Starred review from July 1, 2020

Gr 3-7-Carter crafts a powerful middle grade novel about sexual harassment and the adults who often diminish or ignore it. The story is centered around seventh grader Lydia who lives with her mom and cousin Emma. Lydia sees her father two days a week, spending more time with her mom's boyfriend Jeremy. For months Lydia has not felt comfortable in her own skin. She wears long sleeves and pants in the hot Brooklyn summer to hide her body from boys and men, like the ones in school who call her "Swing" because they like the way the skirt of her Catholic school uniform swings between her legs, and like Jeremy whose hugs and touches linger. Throughout the novel Lydia reasons with herself that she must be overreacting; if these things weren't okay, then surely an adult would have already intervened. When Lydia discovers a book of magic in her new home, she crafts a spell for protection and hopes all of her problems will go away. When she is expelled from her parochial school for use of magic, she is forced to finally confide all of her problems in her mother, who is the first adult to tell Lydia that what has been happening is not okay. The story ends on a hopeful note, and overall Carter does a good job in addressing the topics of sexual assault and consent for middle grade students. VERDICT While this novel leaves readers with an important message about sexual harassment, it is not didactic. An excellent addition to middle grade collections.-Katharine Gatcomb, Portsmouth P.L., NH

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2020
Grades 4-8 The summer before seventh grade, Lydia begins wearing extra clothes to ward off new, unwanted attention from neighborhood boys and the lingering hugs of her mom's boyfriend, Jeremy. Conflicted, she doesn't know if she should mention Jeremy to her mom because he helps around the apartment. Then Lydia's mom unexpectedly buys a house nearby. Old and rickety, the house presents the possibility of magic, which Lydia believes may help her navigate the new school year. When she discovers a book of spells in the basement, Lydia is thrilled. However, when the spell she makes begins to fail, she has to speak up to protect herself. Without graphic depictions of abuse, the novel illustrates that flirting and touching aren't always received in the same manner as they are given. Carter (One Speck of Truth, 2019) has crafted a realistic coming-of-age story of empowerment, and Lydia's experiences teach readers, without a heavy hand, that it's important to speak up?even about loved ones?and ask for help.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)