You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P.

by Alex Gino
Lexile:  810
Genre:  Realistic Fiction



Jilly is looking forward to the arrival for her new baby sister.  But when her sister arrives, life as Jilly knows it has disappeared.  Not only is having a new baby in the house a stressful situation, Jilly and her parents learn soon after Emma's birth, that Emma is deaf.  The only person Jilly knows who is a deaf is a friend she has met online through her favorite fantasy chat room.  His name is Derek and Jilly is interested in knowing more about what life is like for someone who is deaf.  Derek is also Black, and offers another perspective on life that Jilly and her family are working through as they learn about how racism exists within their own family and community.  Jilly tries to ask Derek questions, but everything seems to come out wrong and Derek gets offended and frustrated with her more often then not.  When Derek and Jilly finally have a chance to meet in person, that doesn't go super smoothly either!  Jilly is working hard to navigate her life in an ever changing world...she will need her friends and her family to help her figure things out.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Who Wants a Tortoise?

Image
by Dave Keane Illustrated by K.G. Campbell Lexile:  610 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Who wants a tortoise?  Emily doesn't.  She wants a dog.  But she got a tortoise instead.  Her tortoise can't do anything that a dog can do.  When her tortoise goes missing, Emily and her friends have to head out into the neighborhood to find him and bring him home.  Maybe having a tortoise isn't such a bad deal after all!
Read more

Squished

Image
 by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Avery Lee loves living in Hickory Valley, Maryland even though her large family can really get on her nerves sometimes.  She loves her neighborhood and her friends and is looking forward to starting middle school.  She is also hoping to impress her parents with a presentation she has made on why she deserves to get her own room.  But before she can deliver her presentation, her parents tell her that her older brother will get his own room and she will know have 3 younger siblings to share with!  And just when she thinks things can't get worse, her parents announce that the family might be moving! Avery knows one thing for sure...growing up can really have its challenges.
Read more

We Own the Sky

Image
 by Rodman Philbrick Genre:  Historical Fiction When Jo and Davy's mother dies, their cousin Ruthie shows up to take care of them.  Ruthie is the star of a flying circus so Jo and Davy join her on tour.  Davy sells popcorn and Jo decides she is interested in learning how to be an aviatrix too.  As the circus moves throughout Maine, they encounter some evil Ku Klux Klan members who seek to destroy their business.  Davy, Jo, and Ruthie will have to get creative to defeat their enemies and keep the flying circus in the air.
Read more