You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P.
Written by Alex Gino, author of George and Rick, this middle grade novel has a lot of powerful messages in it about disabilities and Black Lives Matter. I chose this book in light of current events regarding the horrible murder of George Floyd. Though the main character is white, she sees what is happening to her Black friends and family members through a different perspective. It's important to read books with Black protagonists, but it's also important to realize that white people need to wake up and pay attention. Here's a teaser of the book from Google Books.
Jilly thinks she's figured out how life works. But when her sister,
Emma, is born deaf, she realizes how much she still has to learn. The
world is going to treat Jilly, who is white and hearing, differently
from Emma, just as it will treat them both differently from their Black
cousins.
A big fantasy reader, Jilly makes a connection online with another fantasy fan, Derek, who is a Deaf, Black ASL user. She goes to Derek for help with Emma but doesn't always know the best way or time to ask for it.
As she and Derek meet in person, have some really fun conversations, and become friends, Jilly makes some mistakes . . . but comes to understand that it's up to her, not Derek to figure out how to do better next time--especially when she wants to be there for Derek the most.
Within a world where kids like Derek and Emma aren't assured the same freedom or safety as kids like Jilly, Jilly is starting to learn all the things she doesn't know--and by doing that, she's also working to discover how to support her family and her friends.
With You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P!, award-winning author Alex Gino uses their trademark humor, heart, and humanity to show readers how being open to difference can make you a better person, and how being open to change can make you change in the best possible ways.
This book was really good and is great for fans of middle grade realistic fiction (of which there are many right now). I read it twice and loved it both times! You should also check out Alex Gino's other books.
Image source: amazon.com
Jilly thinks she's figured out how life works. But when her sister,
Emma, is born deaf, she realizes how much she still has to learn. The
world is going to treat Jilly, who is white and hearing, differently
from Emma, just as it will treat them both differently from their Black
cousins.A big fantasy reader, Jilly makes a connection online with another fantasy fan, Derek, who is a Deaf, Black ASL user. She goes to Derek for help with Emma but doesn't always know the best way or time to ask for it.
As she and Derek meet in person, have some really fun conversations, and become friends, Jilly makes some mistakes . . . but comes to understand that it's up to her, not Derek to figure out how to do better next time--especially when she wants to be there for Derek the most.
Within a world where kids like Derek and Emma aren't assured the same freedom or safety as kids like Jilly, Jilly is starting to learn all the things she doesn't know--and by doing that, she's also working to discover how to support her family and her friends.
With You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P!, award-winning author Alex Gino uses their trademark humor, heart, and humanity to show readers how being open to difference can make you a better person, and how being open to change can make you change in the best possible ways.
This book was really good and is great for fans of middle grade realistic fiction (of which there are many right now). I read it twice and loved it both times! You should also check out Alex Gino's other books.
Image source: amazon.com
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