Kim

Ethan woke up his freshman year as a white girl, sophomore year as a black boy, and now junior year as a fat Asian girl named Kim. Kim's initial self-loathing for her larger self is difficult to take but highlights what can come with being fat: the limp "pretty face" compliments, the unwanted self-presentation advice, acting small to make up for taking up physical space. Kim makes friends with a theater-obsessed white boy--who refers to himself as a "total gay cliche"--who helps her stow her shame and dance freely, which leads to liberation in the rest of her life. When Kim's invited to join an Asian student club, she feels like an imposter because she wasn't raised with traditions that inform the Asian-American kids' lives--a feeling also experienced by children of immigrants whose parents have valued assimilation over identity. The love interest through two books, Audrey, is back, but Kim's relationship with her can't be anything like it had been--or can it? In this third book, it becomes clear that Cooper and Glock-Cooper are writing for the long game, and they've made some revelations that may help answer questions raised by the first two books. The plot is complicated (there's even a glossary in the back), but Kim's voice and the banter between characters are funny, and they feel real. The identity and marginalization issues loom large, but instead of being shoehorned into side characters, they're scooped up and taken into a deeper, entertaining, fantastic narrative. (Science fiction. 12-18) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-This series takes the ultimate teen experience-not feeling comfortable in one's own skin-and folds it into a fantastical premise: with each year of high school, a young Changer wakes up as an entirely different person. Readers of the past installments have followed Oryon through experiences he never expected: menstruating, being sexually assaulted, and facing racial prejudice. In this title, Oryon is now Kim and has to deal with fat-shaming and homophobia. While living with new identities might encourage empathy for other people, the more immediate concern for many Changers is how to survive a year of high school. Readers will connect with Kim as she tentatively makes new friends; watches Audrey, the girl she still cares about, from afar; and struggles with who she is and who she wants to be, while finding comfort in the theater crowd. This strong entry in the series is a good choice for readers looking for books about friendship, identity, and LGBTQ issues. VERDICT Purchase where the previous volumes are popular.-Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

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