Fish in a Tree meets Fighting Words in J. S. Lemon’s middle grade debut, a fiercely original story about friendship, healing, and the beauty of transformation.
Greta Goodwin’s life is changing. On top of moving to a new neighborhood far away from her best friend, Lotti, she’s also starting middle school. Greta isn’t totally ready for boys, bras, and the chaotic cafeteria. She still feels like a little kid compared to those female classmates who have suddenly matured over the summer. Girls who are now the talk of the school―unlike Greta, who would rather fly under the radar, especially after a bad haircut that makes her look less “effortlessly beautiful” and more “triangle with legs.”
But at her first-ever middle-school party, a boy does pay attention to Greta. Initially it feels good. And then it feels awful. In the aftermath, Greta can’t make sense of what’s happened, let alone talk about it, even to Lotti. Impossibly, Greta’s body starts to change in a vastly different way from everyone else’s. What follows leads Greta to believe the world might finally see her as she truly is: ethereal, powerful, and free.
Sensitively told, stunningly written, and surprisingly funny, Greta will transform readers just as Greta herself is transformed.---from the publisher
208 pages 978-0374392178 Ages 10-14
Keywords: middle school, coming of age, new experiences, friendship, healing, transformation, If You Liked A Fish In A Tree, finding yourself, 10 year old, 11 year old, 12 year old, 13 year old
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“What new classics should look like. A strange and beautiful tale . . . This story will spark important discussions.” ―Newbery Medalist Donna Barba Higuera
