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Reviewed by: Ashley Poulin, Elementary School Librarian Title: Good Different Author: Meg Eden Kuyatt Publisher: Scholastic Books
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 4-8 Genre/Type of Book: Realistic Fiction/Novel in Verse
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Bullying and violence - Handled in an age appropriate manner Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I chose this book because it was highly recommended and written about a neurodivergent character, by a neurodivergent author. If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: When Orchid Mason moves to Fawn (make that Yawn!) Creek, no one in that sleepy town was prepared for what would happen next.
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Review:
Good Different is about Selah, at the beginning of her seventh grade year. Selah has been a student at Pebblecreek, an expensive private school, since the year they first opened. While Selah has always been aware that she is different from most of the other kids, she has managed to minimize those differences externally by following her mother’s long list of “rules.” This all falls apart when Selah hits one of her classmates for touching her hair without consent and she gets suspended, with a warning that if there are any other issues, she will be asked to leave Pebblecreek. The remainder of the book follows her throughout the school year, both at home and at school.
I think this book is well written for a middle grade audience and would appeal to students who liked Rules and other similar books. The middle school drama is realistic, but still appropriate for older elementary students. Selah turns to writing poetry as a healthy means of expressing herself, which could tie nicely into a poetry unit. There are also many connections to the NY SEL benchmarks. The author included her personal experience with her autism diagnosis at the end of the book, which I also appreciated. Given the novel in verse format, it moves quickly and could even work well as a classroom read aloud. Selah’s journey wraps up a little more neatly than most do in reality, but I think that’s okay, and I found myself rooting for her throughout the book!
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