Some Girls Bind

Gr 7 Up—James proves the power of the novel in verse as a vehicle to convey rich characterization, complex themes, and a reading experience that levels the field between struggling and skilled readers. Jamie is keeping a secret, even from her BFF Lev and their wider circle of sensitive and supportive friends. Uncertain, at first, of what draws her to binding her breasts, Jamie confides in her brother Steve, then works toward understanding and accepting a nonbinary gender identification and comes out to Lev and eventually to their parents and friends. James's verse is fluid, and each chapter is a complete scene that builds Jamie's story with compelling insight and empathy. Jamie's friends each have their own issues, and Jamie is a sympathetic friend as well as a teen caught in the private drama of self-awareness that makes adolescence and identity construction frightening to so many.