Well, I've got a lot of horizon-broadening to do! Here's a family with a queer femme mom and a trans dad who gave birth to daughter Annabelle, who herself is crushing on new classmate, non-binary Bailey, and later is girlfriend to Julian, who was the other Annabelle in class. If you got all that, your family definitely has "different kinds of fruit." If not...well, families definitely come in many forms. Very much a "mirror" book for youth who are part of families across the spectrum of gender identities. ( )

Madison's review is spot-on. Too preachy, too many issues covered. I mean, yes, they're all important, but there was no room left for believable characters. No kids are that perfect, and few parents are that clueless.

Speaking of parents, Annabelle's family seems to be able to take a lot of time off work, despite paying for private school. And they don't seem to have any other stresses, like a car that keeps breaking down, or ants in the pantry. I know, lots of books have very involved parents, but it seemed implausibly extreme here.

Nice shout-out against palm oil for the fact that it kills orangutans, but, last I checked, Nutella uses palm oil. (Aldi's store brand does not.)

"I didn't know fake air quotes could be violent until Bailey clawed at the word...." (Great image, but in the voice of a 6th-grader?)

"Nothing more than friends, because nothing is more than friends." ( )

I'm really glad this book exists, because it's great to see many types of queer representation in one community, it's fabulous at centering the empowered tweens, and it goes into the intricacies of identity politics in a way that many do not. Covers a lot of good ground, decent characters. It's slow paced, internal -- very interesting, but also comes across as an answer-all-your-questions kind of book at times. I love the subject matter and the strength of Annabelle and Bailey's families, but it felt long.

Also, I wasn't in love with how the situation with token white jerk Dillon was handled -- I don't think the kid is right about anything, but the resolution/solution seemed to be shunning. Maybe that is the only way, but I hoped for a moment of insight in that character that just didn't come, and while I liked how the parents squared off, it still felt like the message was -- this kid is clearly wrong, we all think so, but we're not actually going to talk about why, and we'll just avoid him until he comes in line -- probably the only solution for adult bigots, but I want to believe that children are more malleable than that. ( )

girl on the cusp of middle school searches for understanding about herself, her parents, and the changing world around her.

At the start of sixth grade, White cisgender girl Annabelle doesn’t dare hope for surprises from her final year at her private school in the suburbs of Seattle. She itches to escape and discover wonders awaiting her outside the confines of her neighborhood—like drag brunch. However, her expectations for a boring year are turned upside down when Bailey, a White nonbinary student with the coolest rainbow shoes, and a new teacher with exciting plans for the curriculum join Annabelle’s class. Unfamiliar feelings pull Annabelle into a fast friendship with Bailey despite her father’s vocal disapproval and her mother’s discomfort. Confronting her parents about their attitudes uncovers a side of her family history that Annabelle never could have imagined. Annabelle’s first-person narration snaps with vivacious personality and humor. Lively banter and quirky facts contribute levity as Annabelle explores topics that weigh on her like privilege, climate change, privacy, and her own lack of vocabulary to describe her identity. Even adults in the story, particularly Annabelle’s father, face challenges to their beliefs that require them to reflect and grow. Lukoff reflects diversity in the world around Annabelle while also heightening her awareness of spaces that are not as inclusive as they claim to be and exploring what to do with that understanding.

Inquisitive, engaged, and action-seeking. (Fiction. 8-12)
(Kirkus Review)

This was a wonderful hopeful book that had fully developed characters and felt like a realistic look at issues facing todays lgbtq youth while also touring on lgbtq history and inter generational relationships. ( )