Yes No Maybe So

Starred review from December 1, 2019

Gr 7 Up-Even though they're not old enough to vote in the upcoming state special election, 17-year-olds Jamie and Maya find themselves roped into canvassing for a progressive candidate in an effort to flip a historically conservative voting district. Jamie sees himself both as a passionate activist and a completely hopeless, clumsy mess. When he's asked to deliver the toast at his sister's bat mitzvah and go door-to-door to talk to likely voters, he's convinced he'll do or say something that will make him a laughingstock. Maya is having a terrible summer-her best friend is moving to college and her parents announced their trial separation at the beginning of Ramadan. When the local political candidate holds a campaign event at her mosque, her mother encourages her to volunteer as a way of filling her time. Although they'd been close as children, Jamie and Maya's relationship has been dormant for several years, but begins to bloom slowly into something beautiful, multilayered, and complex. While this scenario hardly sounds like the setup for a compelling novel, Albertalli and Saeed unfold a story told in alternating chapters that weaves together timely, relevant, and engaging themes. VERDICT With topical references to state and national issues-including hijab bans, bathroom bills, and the subtle politics of meme culture-this is a warm, beautiful story about relationships' beginnings, endings, and transitions; what it means to fight the good fight; and the transformative power of local activism. A solid addition to any contemporary YA collection.-Erin Downey, Boise School District, ID

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 9, 2019
Once childhood friends, deeply shy Jamie Goldberg, who is Jewish and white, and stability-loving Maya Rehman, who is Pakistani-American and Muslim, reconnect when pressured into working on the campaign of a progressive Senate hopeful. At 17, both are reluctant to dedicate their summers to canvassing in the Atlanta heat; this is especially so for Maya, whose best friend is college-bound at summer’s end, but her need to escape the constant reminders of her parents’ separation compels her to team up with Jamie to inform and persuade local voters. Soon, swept up in the passions and pressures leading to Election Day, the pair starts falling for each other, though Maya doesn’t date. They also learn firsthand that the political is personal when a proposed bill calls for “a partial ban on head and facial coverings while participating in certain public activities.” Albertalli and Saeed’s collaborative authorship is seamlessly achieved via alternating first-person narratives that offer a nuanced lens on the current U.S. political climate and individuals’ roles in democracy. With a convincing, relevant message about democratic responsibility, studded with references to activists, the authors offer an honest handling of cultural misunderstandings, microaggressions, and open communication via Jamie and Maya’s tight-knit families and developing relationship. Ages 14–up. (Feb.)■

December 15, 2019
Two 17-year-olds from the northern suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, work together on a campaign for a progressive state senate candidate in an unlikely love story. Co-authors Albertalli (Leah on the Offbeat, 2018, etc.) and Saeed (Bilal Cooks Daal, 2019, etc.) present Jamie Goldberg, a white Ashkenazi Jewish boy who suffers from being "painfully bad at anything girl-related," and Maya Rehman, a Pakistani American Muslim girl struggling with her parents' sudden separation. Former childhood best friends, they find themselves volunteered as a team by their mothers during a Ramadan "campaign iftar." One canvassing adventure at a time, they grow closer despite Maya's no-dating policy. Chapters alternate between Maya's and Jamie's first-person voices. The endearing, if somewhat clichéd, teens sweetly connect over similarities like divorced parents, and their activism will resonate with many. Jamie is sensitive, clumsy, and insecure; Maya is determined, sassy, a dash spoiled, and she swears freely. The novel covers timeless themes of teen activism and love-conquers-all along with election highs and lows, messy divorces, teen angst, bat mitzvah stress, social media gaffes, right-wing haters, friendship drama, and cultural misunderstandings, but the explicit advocacy at times interferes with an immersive reading experience and the text often feels repetitious. Maya's mother is hijabi, and while Maya advocates against a hijab ban, she chooses not to wear hijab and actively wrestles with what it means to be an observant Muslim. Best leave it at maybe so. (Romance. 14-18)

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Starred review from December 1, 2019
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* For Jamie Goldberg, campaigning for Jordan Rossum is a way to make a difference before he can vote. Canvassing, though, freaks him out; speaking in front of people (or to them) isn't his strong suit. For Maya Rehman, Rossum isn't impressive?just another white guy running for office, and not even an experienced one. Her summer is already terrible: her parents have split, and her best friend has been totally unavailable. When her mom basically forces her to canvass with Jamie for the summer, Maya is less than thrilled. She and Jamie don't exactly get off on the right foot either; he's painfully awkward and keeps forgetting she's fasting for Ramadan, while she's dismissive of his commitment. But as they slowly find their footing, they both start to feel like they're part of something bigger. With a fervor born from the 2016 presidential election, Albertalli (Leah on the Offbeat, 2018) and Saeed (Written in the Stars, 2015) seamlessly join forces to craft a genuine, immediate tale about two teenagers facing some of the harsher truths of the world for the first time and finding something to believe in anyway. Buoyed by humor, enriched by a colorful supporting cast, and strung through with a charming (and charmingly awkward) romantic subplot, Jamie and Maya's story, their miscommunications, and their true connection will win hearts and inspire action. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Albertalli and Saeed are both best-sellers, their collab comes with a hefty promotional campaign, and this timely love-and-politics offering would draw a crowd on premise alone.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)