February 15, 2022
On the last day of seventh grade, right before Noah Campos' pool party, Tahlia Wilkins worries about a new zit. Last year she wore a practical, sun-protective, but unfashionable outfit and was totally embarrassed to see how fashion-forward the other girls were. Noah is superpopular, and Tahlia is determined to make a good impression this time, but her first period threatens to upend her plans. Tahlia wants to start menstruating, but not right before the party, just after her mom has left on a work retreat. She can't talk to her socially awkward dad about it and doesn't have an older sister, just obnoxious 16-year-old twin brothers. She has no pads but finds some in her parents' bathroom. Luckily, Tahlia's best friend, Lily Baek, tries to assist, offering good ideas and some scatterbrained solutions. In the 24 hours between the onset of Tahlia's period and the help that she finally gets from her parents, her first step into womanhood is filled with funny, albeit mortifying, moments that will have readers both laughing and sympathizing. While largely focused on bodily concerns, there are also messages about friendship and family matters. Quick-moving, lighthearted, and ultimately heartwarming, this first-person narrative will especially be enjoyed by readers awaiting or having recently experienced their first periods. Tahlia's family is cued White. Lily's surname points to Korean ancestry, and names indicate some diversity in the supporting cast. Humorously highlights a meaningful milestone for a tween: a first period. (Fiction. 8-12)
COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
February 15, 2022
Grades 5-8 It's the last day of seventh grade, and Tahlia Wilkins has a plan for herself and BFF Lily: starting with a pool party at the home of popular, friendly Noah, Tahlia and Lily will get in with the cool-kids crowd. There's only one problem: Tahlia gets her period for the first time the day before the party, right after her mom leaves for the weekend. Tahlia is desperate to avoid embarrassing herself by letting anyone except Lily know, and every attempt to handle the situation leads to disaster. Debut author Evans believably captures the emotional roller coaster of middle-school-aged kids in Tahlia's frantic, snarky first-person narrative. Tahlia comes across as quite self-centered, but a sobering bit of news from Lily brings her down to earth and helps her start being a better friend. Tahlia's experience of her first period is refreshingly matter-of-fact and extensive: she tries tampons for the first time, buys supplies on her own, and ultimately discovers that her dad can be a supportive resource. Hand this voice-driven novel to kids interested in friendship stories.
COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
March 7, 2022
Middle school humiliation is the topic of Evans’s lively debut, which follows 12-year-old Tahlia Wilkins, who reads as white, and the series of disasters she experiences in the days following seventh grade graduation. Her first problem? The pimple that’s appeared on her “traitorous chin” just in time for popular Noah Campos’s pool party, where Tahlia hopes to overcome a previous “goggles-and-board-shorts incident,” and prove that she’s gotten cooler over the past year. Next, just after her mother leaves their central Pennsylvania town to attend a work retreat sans phone service, Tahlia gets her first period. She’s too embarrassed to tell her awkward father or 16-year-old twin brothers, but Tahlia and her best friend engage in a series of comic acts. They sneak into a neighbor’s bathroom, for one, and wade into a restaurant fountain to gather quarters for a bathroom dispenser, events that lead to further dilemmas. As Tahlia’s chatty first-person narration conveys her desire of popularity amid her eventful first visit from “The Fairy Godmother of Puberty,” Evans offers some practical tips for young people on the brink of menstruation, ending on a family-oriented upswing—and a note of relief. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jessica Mileo, InkWell.