The Kate In Between

March 15, 2021
Kate is changing for better, worse, and everything in between. Seventh grade is starting, and Kate's mom has moved away, leaving her with her dad. She has been growing apart from former bestie Haddie, a nonconformist who doesn't feel like a good fit for Kate anymore. Popular mean girl Taylor, who befriends Kate, may not be the best fit, either. But Kate is--mostly--happy to be in Taylor's orbit, where she doesn't have to talk about her situation the way she would with Haddie, who is genuinely interested in her life. Kate even follows along when Taylor's clique harasses Haddie, resulting in Haddie's fall through the ice on a frozen pond. Narrated by Kate, the scene and her ugly, conflicting emotions are vividly described. Instinct kicks in, and Kate saves Haddie. Video of the rescue makes national media, and celebrities dub her Kate the Great. Is she? Tensions mount, and Kate anxiously treads water until her full role in the incident is exposed, forcing her to confront Haddie, Taylor, her mother, and herself. Kate must decide who she is: bully, hero, friend, foe, beloved daughter, dependent, all of the above. Characters are three-dimensional and realistically flawed, as Kate becomes increasingly aware. The resolution feels familiar but Kate's solution is unique; she won't be defined by one moment. This messy middle-school drama shines a light on what it means to develop identity. Illuminating. (Fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 26, 2021
Grades 4-7 Twelve-year-old Kate is looking for a change as middle school starts, and then it comes in the form of an invite from the popular click, led by Taylor Tobitt, the "it" girl at school. When Kate is asked to join them at their lunch table, she suddenly has the chance to try out a different identity. Previous BFF Haddie doesn't understand the social politics in play and tries to join the group as well, with nearly deadly consequences. Thankfully, Kate intervenes and saves Haddie, but a video of the incident goes viral, suddenly making Kate a poster girl for antibullying. But is she really or was she part of the problem? Can Kate find the strength to do the right thing and come clean? Well written and on point, Swinarski's middle-grade take on the mean-girls novel will resonate with readers looking for a realistic story that doesn't gloss over choices or consequences, giving them complex ideas to contemplate.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.