By L D Lapinski
Paperback, £7.99
I was eagerly awaiting this 2023 release: a middle grade book with a non-binary main character fighting for their rights? Sign me up! I am most happy to report: the book lived up to my hype.
Our charming protagonist is at a crossroads. Having come out as non-binary to their friends, parents, classmates and teachers, Jamie is now being forced to choose between their small town’s only two sixth form schools, which are sex-segregated. This presents them with a much more complex choice: conforming to the structurally binary standards of the world they inhabit, or challenge them and (gasp) raise a fuss.
Although Lapinski’s approach is clearly didactic and keeps the book’s middle grade audience in mind, I found their take quite nuanced. The prose is simple but lively; a dialogue-heavy first-person narrative that keeps a steady pace and offers plenty of moving scenes. The rich cast of characters is another plus: the parents, the friends, the school faculty, and especially Jamie’s queer brother Olly, are all memorable and serve the plot well.
Perhaps the book’s greatest strength, however, is that it deliberately avoids the topic of identity-discovering angst, jumping straight to Jamie’s coming out instead. There are many narratives about the difficulty of understanding and coming to terms with one’s gender, which are undeniably essential. Nevertheless, by centring the conflict around pervasive societal discrimination instead, Lapinski manages to address the true source of much of the negative aspects of trans experiences. As a bonus, there’s a brief “Jamie Rambeau’s Guide” entry at the end of every chapter, which will be a helpful resource for teachers, family, and young readers alike.
The result is an uplifting, educational, but also a little cheeky and so very fun read. A great entry point to fundamental topics such as activism, gender identity, and the value of collective organization. Recommended for readers of all ages!
Review by Oliver