LET IT WAG

After Jules’ dad gets a job in Texas, she’s uprooted from everything and everyone she loves in Chicago. Then she discovers that Dad has decided to foster a “miniature moose” of a dog, Sparky, who’s soon taking up her bed—and Jules doesn’t even like dogs. On top of that, her mercurial schoolmate and next-door neighbor, Lebanese American Theo, practically moves in too. On the bright side, his loving mother and grandma constantly dish up falafel, tarator, and other delectable fare for their new neighbors. Somewhat parentified Jules, who poignantly seeks connections to her late mother, suppresses her true feelings in an effort to make everything “perfect.” Debut author McKearin not only kits out her 12-year-old protagonist, who reads white, with laudable resilience, but also surrounds her with a cast of supportive, sympathetic neighbors and new friends—led by her dad and Theo, who turns out to be an increasingly appealing combination of helpful, smart, and sensitive to her feelings. The author throws in an unexpected snowstorm for drama and includes representation of living with diabetes (both Sparky and Theo) in this story that progresses along a series of rising beats to a joyful climactic holiday celebration.