Title: Star-Crossed
Author: Barbara Dee
Publisher: Aladdin
Genre: Romance, LGBTQIA diverse, Realistic
Age Range: 9 – 13
Eighth grade Mattie is dragging herself through the dregs of
a crush on handsome (if obnoxious) Elijah, when two things happen. Her grade
begins staging their production of Romeo and Juliet, and she meets her pretty
British classmate, Gemma Braithwaite. At a party, no less. Shakespeare and real
life continue to mirror each other as Mattie is unexpectedly catapulted into
the part of Romeo, playing opposite Gemma’s Juliet. As both her feelings and
rehearsals become more intense, Mattie struggles to define and finally admit
her attraction to Gemma in a very sweet coming-out story.
In spite of some minor issues with character development and
atmosphere (like basically any light romance), Dee captures so very well the
experience of a first real crush – the confusion, the excitement and the
convolutions of hormone-induced crazy that every kid goes through as they enter
puberty, with the addition of Mattie’s slow and very realistic realization that
she is attracted to another girl. The atmosphere and secondary character
development is all very positive and supportive of Mattie – a sweet and hopeful
take that may or may not actually ring true to many readers’ experiences. While
Mattie’s development was solid, other characters sometimes seemed stock or
unrealistic in their responses, both positive and negative. Not least Gemma,
who seems much more comfortable with her sexuality than Mattie, yet makes no
real move and forces Mattie to take the initiative. Still, a lightweight and
fun read that addresses a real issue sensitively and positively. Great for
middle grade in a subgenre that generally lacks quality stories for this age.
Recommended: chick lit fans, theater/drama kids,
searching/questioning, younger romance readers or fans of realistic school
stories
Read-Alikes: Gracefully Grayson, Drama, Annie on My Mind
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