JUST ASK ELSIE

Elsie Parker gets to spend eight weeks learning about important topics like the difference between sex and gender, but at school, her fifth grade classmates will get their puberty education only via a generic hourlong video in a gender-segregated class at the end of the school year. Elsie decides to fill the gap: She hangs a whiteboard on her locker, creating an anonymous advice column. Though some of her classmates poke fun and call her Puberty Girl, most seem to appreciate the service she provides, asking questions about pimples, periods, and the meaning of LGBTQ. She makes sure to look up facts using reputable sources before answering. The school administration isn’t as receptive, however. Elsie, who’s implied white, has recently been accepted at a prestigious arts and STEM–focused middle school, and she worries she may be jeopardizing her chances there if she gets in too much trouble. But through conversations with her Latina best friend, Mara Morales; her Pakistani and Egyptian American crush, Nadia Hadid; her bisexual mom; her transgender dad; and her parents’ friend Nate (her “DNA provider”), she realizes that sometimes it’s worth getting in trouble to make the world a better place. Some pop-culture references seem outdated, but Elsie’s voice and the social dynamics feel authentic, and the pacing is solid.