The Cure for Cold Feet

February 1, 2018

Gr 3-6-This is Ain's (Izzy Kline Has Butterflies) second free verse novel following Izzy, now a sixth grader entering the alien world of middle school. In addition to being split from her trusted trio of friends, Izzy is paired with her archrival, Jackson, for dance in social studies (the teacher's unwelcome way of bringing the "social" into social studies). Not only does Izzy have to suffer Jackson in school, but he is the son of her mother's new best friend, Yogi. On top of that, Izzy's father is engaged and her teenage brother has found a new companion in tequila. Izzy's narrative dances over the pages in clear, engaging verse. Readers hesitant of poetry would do well try Ain's work as an introduction. Chapter headings mark days and moments ("Homework," "Trick or Treat," "Flashback") and the sections are short enough to keep even reluctant readers engaged. Izzy's family is Jewish, and Izzy observes many diverse characteristics in her classmates, developing a crush on an exchange student from Spain. In one scene, Izzy describes a black classmate's braided hair and her intense desire to touch it, though she never does and the topic is not brought up again in the book. While stories of school and family hardships abound, this is unique in its weaving of so many issues into a tight narrative. Kids need not have read Izzy's first outing to have a full and positive experience of this companion novel. VERDICT For both its unique format and content, this title deserves a home on library shelves. A recommended purchase.-Taylor Worley, Springfield Public Library, OR

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2018
Facing sixth grade, Izzy counts on her friends and family only to find dizzying change. "The only cure for cold feet is to move your feet forward," Izzy's dad says, as she trudges through her first middle school year. The resilient fourth-grader from Izzy Kline Has Butterflies (2017) faces one challenge after another in this sequel, clearly set in the present day. Her friends move on, her father will remarry, her brother turns to tequila, her mother finds new love with the mother of her least favorite boy, and Izzy develops a crush on an exchange student from Spain. Each short chapter (or "small moment") is headed with an appropriate title: "Drama," "Long Division," "Driver's Ed," "Home Economics," "Spin the Bottle," and so forth. The first-person narrative is written in free verse, using appropriate imagery to reflect each theme, to "paint the portrait of an argument," as her English teacher suggests. This highly readable, realistic series of sixth-grade moments is punctuated by flashbacks that not only reflect Izzy's wish to return to childhood comforts, but also provide background. Her family's Jewish traditions turn up naturally in mentions of Christmas (not her holiday), Hanukkah, and the tallis used by the rabbi who married her grandfathers. Racism is not an issue for these characters (who, save one new brown-skinned character, seem to adhere to the white default), but same-sex relationships are, for some.A believable portrait of middle school challenges. (Fiction. 9-12)

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