Greta is less than happy to be moving from the home she grew up in and leaving so many memories behind. She and her best friend Lotti take on middle school together and immediately discover the emotional roller coaster it is. At a house party, Greta and Lotti find time with their crushes, but Greta's experience quickly turns into unwanted advances. This book is a beautiful and surreal look at change, friendship, and what it means to respect one's body. Will definitely recommend this to girls at the library.

A story anyone who has survived middle school can relate to, but with a unique twist. Beautifully written.

It's probably not surprising that J.S. Lemon's middle-grade debut "Greta" centers around a middle-grade girl named Greta.

Greta Goodwin is going through a lot. She lives with her mom, dad, and little brother known as Fej. As we meet her, she's going through the motions of packing up her room for the family's big move to a new neighborhood far away from best friend Lotti.

There's never a page where we don't feel the deep friendship that exists between Greta and Lotti, two young girls who practically define what it means to be BFFs and to feel safe with another human being.

Greta doesn't quite feel ready for middle school. It means boys, bras, and more busyness than she's used to in her daily life.

Greta attends her first middle school party with loyal friend Lotti by her side. She's more than a little surprised when a boy pays a lot of attention to her. That surprise turns into discomfort and disorientation as what initially feels good suddenly feels awful. With a life experience it seems like she can't tell anyone, Greta's body starts to change in new and mysterious ways as she transforms into something wondrous and wholly unique.

"Greta" is a deeply felt, transformative, vulnerable, and honest middle grade novel that tackles difficult yet meaningful material with storytelling that is surprisingly funny, remarkably tender, and immensely respectful to its characters. I found myself enchanted by Greta and her life journey even through an ending that will resonate with many, trouble others, and just plain confuse some folks.

It makes sense. I promise.

There aren't a lot of times these days that I read a middle-grade novel and think to myself "This feels original!" This is precisely what happens with "Greta." While there are certainly middle grade novels that tackle difficult subject matter, "Greta" does so in a way that it could be interpreted in a myriad of ways both sad and exhilarating.

"Greta" could have easily gone wrong and yet never does. It's clear that J.S. Lemon not only writes these characters well but cares for them. Lemon has crafted a sensitive portrayal filled with exceptional dialogue and little nuances that allowed me to connect with each character in profound and meaningful ways.

"Greta" is likely to resonate most with the more mature middle-grade reader and would likely be a great selection for a trauma-informed reading shelf. It is important to know that "Greta" does deal with sexual assault in a manner that is discreet and respectful yet also easily understood. It is a book that is respectful of traumatic life experiences and big feelings and events for younger people.

At just over 200 pages, "Greta" is a relatively quick read, perhaps a tad too quick, but this allows for a move from trauma to transformation that feels both grounded in reality and possessing of hints of fantasy.

There is much to love in this middle grade novel in verse. The language and imaginative images elicited are poetic and beautiful. The story has a nice arc, and it's the ending that is questionable. I can't decide if the ending is fantastic or flat.

This fiction text opens with a scene that returns again at the end. It creates suspense and wondering, which keeps the reader intrigued as Greta Goodwin's life begins to change. Faced with moving away from her best friend into a new neighborhood and starting middle school and questions about boys, Greta begins to wonder where she fits in.

A sexual assault at a house party (with the parents and adults upstairs) changes the course of Greta's future. Trying to make sense of the event on top of everything else overwhelms Greta. That is when a physical transformation begins. In the end, Greta is understood, seen, powerful, and free.

I would definitely recommend this book to a number of audiences as it discusses assault against a female, female bodies and reactions to them, resilience, growth, and transformation.

In general, it is difficult to tell a middle grade "transformation" story that doesn't feel grotesque. Think 2023's "The Very Unfortunate Wish of Melony Yoshimura," "Ellie Engle Saves Herself," and "Coyote Queen" - all engaging stories with an aura of darkness that felt (to me) needlessly unsettling. The same may be said of "Greta," albeit with character development that I would consider superior to those three novels. The ending is a little dissatisfying; sometimes there is poetic grace in uncertainty, but in this case, the story probably would have benefited from a firmer conclusion.

After starting middle school, Greta and Lotti experience all the usual fun times. When they find out there will be a dance they go together. Derek is there and he had called Greta “hot girl” at school.When she goes outside for air, Derek follows her and sexually assaults her. Once home Greta tells no one. When she wakes up her skin is orange. The doctor gives her cream, but Greta is beginning to like her new skin even after getting teased. The new skin makes her feels safe. Later another transformation takes place and Greta feels free.

This was lovely. Initially the ending had me sad, but it was poetic and I understood it.

I plan on purchasing this to be a part of my 8th grade classroom library - in both topic and relatability, I feel it will be well-loved.

As someone who was assigned female at birth I connected with Greta in her reactions and experiences as an adolescent. The concept of transformation was a common theme in this novel and was developed beautifully as Greta came to terms with who she was at her core and found her freedom in a truly unique way.