  | Shirley & Jamila's big fall Author: Goerz, Gillian | |
| Price: $19.08 | ||
Summary:
Starting a new school in the fall with her friend Shirley, everything is going well for Jamila until Shirley pulls her into a new assignment: stop Chuck Milton, a school bully who is using blackmail and intimidation to become school president--an assignment that will involve a bit of breaking and entering. In graphic novel format.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 3.40 Points: 1.0 Quiz: 517088 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (10/01/21)
Booklist (+) (11/01/21)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 11/01/2021 *Starred Review* Shirley and Jamila solidified their friendship over the summer (in Shirley and Jamila Save Their Summer, 2020), but now it’s fall, and Jamila is worried that they’ll drift apart. It’s not hard to see why: they take different classes, Jamila is busy with basketball and getting to know her teammate Seena, and Shirley is still her usual inscrutable self. But when a kid needs help dealing with slimy Chuck Milton—their school’s resident blackmailer, who trades life-ruining secrets for candy—Shirley needs Jamila’s help to take him down once and for all. Goerz spins a twisty mystery plot featuring disguises, a late-night heist, and long-buried secrets, satisfyingly tying it all up in a surprising reveal. In the background, she playfully subverts classic middle-grade drama, depicting a deepening, expanding friendship among kids who ostensibly don’t have much in common. Jamila’s feelings about her friendship with Seena are particularly poignant: Jamila is Pakistani Canadian, and while Shirley is white, Seena is half Pakistani, half Afghan, and it’s a relief for Jamila to find a friend who understands her family. She’s equally relieved to realize that there’s no right or best kind of friendship to have. Autumn light glows in dense city backgrounds littered with falling leaves, and Goerz nicely mixes visual narrative styles (wordless spreads, layered snapshots) to tell this fun, dynamic story. Hand to fans of Varian Johnson’s The Great Greene Heist (2014). - Copyright 2021 Booklist.
