Why this book deserves a read:
- It’s the first time I’ve ever seen nonbinary representation in a middle-grade novel
- There are loads of discussions surrounding openmindedness and what it takes to be an ally
- There’s an organisation that the kids take part in to make the world a better, more supportive and safe place for LGBTQIAP+ people
Review:
I don’t know what it is with 2020 and the trend of illustrated covers but I am here for it 100 percent. Please never stop giving me these kinds of covers to salivate over, book industry.
Besides having a stunning cover, Spin With Me also had a lovely story between the pages. We follow thirteen-year-old Essie who starts a new school when her dad gets offered a temporary teaching position in a different town. Initially dreading the stay, she quickly finds friends – and meets Ollie. Ollie who she might have a crush on. As the two of them grow closer, Ollie tells her that they are nonbinary and open up her world to the beauty of the LGBTQ+ spectrum.
I enjoyed this story and I loved how Essie’s old friends group was juxtaposed with her new one and gave her some time to realise that some of her friends aren’t as open and inclusive as she wishes they could be, but I was also really glad that she didn’t just discard them and instead engaged in discussions of why it’s wrong to just stereotype someone they don’t even know instead of accepting everyone for who they are. It made my heart soar to have such inclusive representation and openmindedness in a book geared toward younger readers.
That being said, one of my favourite parts was the organisation Ollie and their friends have at school, the Gender and Love Open-Minded Warriors or GLOW. I loved how they were advocating for equality and had all these plans for activities that would make people more engaged with the topic.
There was a lot of potential for discussions around gender identity and queer advocacy and though we definitely scratch the surface of all these important topics, I was hoping for a bit more. It’s a short book, but I could have used some more in-depth discussions instead of the very clear-cut structure of the narration, but that could have just been a preference of mine. Along those lines, I do have to say that I felt the characters were written more mature than they are at thirteen. Not just from the way they were speaking and thinking (vocabulary, eloquence etc), but also from how they seemed to know everything about queer advocacy and the likes. Perhaps I’m influenced by the other middle-grade novels I’ve read this year that deal with the LGBTQ+ spectrum, but I sometimes wished for more explanation instead of just everyone knowing what certain phrases or terms mean.
I also have to admit that the necessity of the dual narration went over my head a little bit. I think it would have made sense if both Essie and Ollie would have gotten alternating chapters to narrate, but instead, once we’ve followed Essie through the entire story, we jump back to the beginning to get the exact same trajectory from Ollie’s point of view that didn’t really add anything for me. I was hoping there would be more discussion of Ollie identifying as non-binary or at least a bit more depth into their character but it came across like a simple reiteration of Essie’s perspective.
Nevertheless, Spin With Me is a sweet and unique story that tackles non-binary identity in a middle-grade novel and offers ample space to discuss the gender and sexuality spectrum and makes for a beautiful reading time!
Spin With Me is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of February 16th 2021.
Will you be picking up Spin With Me? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
In this elegant dual narrative, Essie is a thirteen-year-old girl feeling glum about starting a new school after her professor dad takes a temporary teaching position in a different town. She has 110 days here and can’t wait for them to end. Then she meets Ollie: delicate, blue eyes, short hair, easy smile. At first, Essie thinks she has a typical crush on a beautiful boy. But as her crush blossoms, she soon realizes that Ollie is not a boy or a girl, but gender non-binary.
Meanwhile, Ollie is experiencing a crush of their own . . . on Essie. As Ollie struggles to balance their passion for queer advocacy with their other interests, they slowly find themselves falling for a girl whose stay is about to come to an end. Can the two unwind their merry-go-round of feelings before it’s too late?
