[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Aladdin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Mila is in 7th grade. She loves playing trumpet in the band. She has three best friends. And she’s getting some weird vibes from “the basketball boys.”
First, they’re weird about her fuzzy green sweater. She wears it a lot because it fits. Some of her shirts have gotten small and tight but her mom doesn’t have money for shopping. The boys keep trying to hug Mila when she wears the sweater, or they try to touch it, saying it’s “for luck.”
They crowd her. On the bus, one of them sits with her, bumping into her or leaving her only enough space to squeeze by. They move closer to her in class, touch her when she doesn’t want to be touched. And when she tries to speak up, they say she’s overreacting or can’t take a joke. Her friends fade away instead of back her up.
Each incident taken alone seems small and insignificant. But all of them, day after day, leave Mila feeling gross – like her skin is crawling – and dreading what might happen next.
Review
This was an emotional read for me. The beginning made me feel squirmy. Mila felt trapped and alone. She knew things felt wrong, but enough voices said she was overreacting that she second guessed herself. She had no language for what was happening to her. She felt the perpetrators would have more support from teachers and the administration. The stress of it all for Mila made my stomach churn.
I loved that martial arts was a factor in Mila’s solution – and not through fighting but in finding her voice! Middle school is so hard. Kids are testing identities and negotiating relationships and pushing boundaries. The confidence Mila gains through martial arts was a great piece to the story’s resolution.
Once Mila started sharing her story, I teared up through the whole rest of the book. Her bravery was inspiring. The adults took her seriously and took action. And the action seemed appropriate. (Although, if Mila was my daughter, I would have wanted a stronger response – I would have liked more on how the boys’ parents responded, too, but that’s an adult’s perspective.)
This is an important book for middle grade readers, especially upper elementary students and middle school students. It gives language to kids for this very specific and nuanced kind of bullying and harassment. It would be an excellent conversation starter at school AND at home. Do not miss this one! I feel like our kids will be better off having read this.