4 ½ stars rounded down. While this is a middle grade book, it deals with mature subject matter when the main character is sexually abused. However, the author does handle it at a middle grade level. I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to the students at my middle school. Even though Greta told her best friend what had happened, I wished she would’ve gone to an adult or the friend would’ve pushed her to tell an adult. I think it’s important to show kids they can tell a trusted adult to help them. I did appreciate the resources portion at the end of the book and hope that kids read that part as well. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader’s copy.

I received an ARC from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group via NetGalley. Greta is navigating 7th grade middle school with her close childhood friend Lotti. New experiences abound and Greta’s family is also packing up to move to a bigger house.
This story uses magical realism to navigate loss of innocence and transformation. I felt very connected to Greta; the ending just surprised me. Middle readers might need an adult to discuss the themes in this story.

This middle-grade debut follows Greta Goodwin as she grapples with starting middle school and moving houses. It's a lot of change at once, and it overwhelms her. Throughout the story, Greta leans on her best friend, Lotti, as she enters this new chapter of her life. I adored Greta and Lotti's friendship. It was true to middle school friendships: they spent every hour possible together and rushed to find each other during lunch to catch up on the day.
While I enjoyed this story overall, I found the fantasy aspect hurt the story's strength instead of helping it. As the fantasy aspect of Greta's transformation took hold, I found myself disconnected from the story. Additionally, I am not a fan of how Greta's assault was handled. After a boy at a party ignored Greta's boundaries, she was able to run away, but Greta became a shell of herself. She was scared and shut down. While this part was handled well, I didn't like how she didn't tell even her best friend what happened. Additionally, her healing was glossed over and it felt like all of a sudden she was not afraid anymore.
So, while this was a fine novel, the way the story evolved meant the story just got weaker as the pages went on.

Greta is a trick! It’s a book that the reader thinks is one thing, but is actually getting something very different. This book was a fast read, but I’ve taught middle school for many years and this doesn’t feel like a book my middle school students will pick up. The last 25-30% was too quick. The ending wasn’t satisfactory to me and I think any students getting to the end of it will be disappointed in the ending too.

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, and Giroix for this ARC.

Greta
by J. S. Lemon

This young adult reader book shows the nature and change of youth as two best friends slide into middle school. They face roomers, and consent problems and the magic of change. The book has humor mixed with the reality. The love of two friends pass through the problems of childhood at the edge of adulthood.

I was able to read this book by obtaining an ARC copy from NetGalley. This is a coming of age tale about experiencing something traumatic and trying to navigate dealing with the aftermath of it. As an adult reading this book it was a little choppy and I’m not sure what happened at the end. It left me feeling unfulfilled and sad. I’m not sure middle grade kids would understand the ending either.

This was a beautiful and important read for middle graders regarding themes of consent and sexual assault, however I wish it talked more about getting the necessary support. Even though I felt the ending was beautiful and a unique metaphor for transformation, I felt unsatisfied as I again wished the book would have tackled real life scenarios.

I don’t know how to rate this book. Greta, an eighth grader unsure of if she’s ready for everything that comes with being an eighth grader, experiences a trauma that leaves her changed. I like the imagery and the metaphor. I do not like that there is no real talk of grief or support or of the trauma at all. I would hesitate to hand this to a middle grades (or even a YA) reader without knowing whether or not there would be someone there to talk it through with them.

Our main character is Greta Goodwin and she has a LOT on her mind. She lives with her mom, dad, and little brother, Jeff also known as Fej. The family is in the process of moving to a new home and Greta is completely reluctant. After all the new neighborhood far away from her best friend Lotti.

Coming of age, Greta, doesn't quite feel ready for middle school. It means boys, bras, and more work 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 as what initially feels good suddenly feels invasive, wrong and violated.
The theme of the story is growth and change, sometimes painful, and in a small way, loss of innocence and becoming more aware of the dangers that can confront young girls. Greta feels herself growing stronger and more able to deal with teasing and ostracizing, and even LOUDLY AND PUBLICLY defends her friend Lotti when she is called names by some cruel peers.



To me this was a really good story until it bridged into wired fantasy, bur I think middle grade female readers will really enjoy the story f they don’t mind a fantastical ending.

To me this was a really good story until it bridged into weird fantasy, bur I think middle grade female readers will really enjoy the story f they don’t mind a fantastical ending.

When I was in the middle grade range, I wish I'd had this book. Greta is a very important book and talks about this situation with a Kafska-esque style and twist which I love for readers in this age range.

Greta was a good book, though I was not the intended audience. I wanted a more concrete ending, with something 'resolved', but that's not how life works, and I believe that's the point of the book.

I was intrigued by the cover of this book, that is the main factor that caused me to read it. I am a fan of middle grade books for light and relaxing reading between nonfiction or more difficult reads. I was a bit hesitant of how the author would handle the sexual assault scenes but it was not triggering or upsetting. However, I didn't like that Greta never told an adult or anyone what happened to her and she wasn't able to overcome her feelings of being wrong or feeling gross in her own body. The way that the aftermath of the situation was handled was a little bit confusing to me and maybe not the best way to explain it to children because Greta turned into someone different and only then was she able to feel comfortable in her skin again. I think a better ending to this book would be if Greta talked to her parents and having some consequences for Derek. This would show young girls that speaking up is the right thing to do.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for review in exchange for an honest review!

This was one of those ARCs that I was thrilled to learn would be on shelves at my library come release date. The story has made the topics of consent and sexual assault more digestible for middle grade readers. Not only that, it shares the really real challenges of being someone in middle school and growing into that new phase of adolescence.

Such a cute book for kids, it is good for learning about transformation. It was written beautifully and it will be great for kids.

What a sweet and inspirational book this is for both kids and adults young at heart! It's lovely to read and full of beautiful storytelling of coming of age. I plan to get a copy for my nieces.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for a copy of this arc.

A powerful book about transformation, growing up, puberty, and consent.

I am unsure how to rate this. I adored Greta and felt for her greatly - a middle school aged girl who was not ready for all the things that come with middle school, including body changes, unwanted attention from others, and peer pressure. When she's assaulted by a classmate at a party, she begins to transform.

This part of the book was fascinating. Magical realism mixed with fantasy, as Greta sheds her skins and starts to morph into a body that is noticeable but one she feels comfortable in, even with orange and green skin. It's a magical way of showing how adolescents change during these middle school years ... and how sometimes it feels like shedding of one's skin and growing wings.

I liked the book and think it's a valuable and important one for kids. But I didn't really get the ending and think it might be a little confusing for tween readers. Still, it's a powerful message and the imagery really brings the message home in a unique and creative way.

Recommended for ages 10+.

♡𝐞𝐀𝐫𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰♡
4 🌟
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𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 :
•ya
•middle school
•coming of age
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This coming of age middle school book called Greta is J.S. Lemon's debut. I highly recommend for a child that in the middle school. Greta Goodwin's life is changing, moving to a new neighborhood away from her best friend Lotti, and also the fact she is starting middle school. Greta is like the majority of young girls who are about to start middle school and are not ready for her body to change and for boys to start to pay attention to her. This a great coming of age book.
♡𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 September.10♡
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Thank you, Netgalley, and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the (eArc)-eBook for my honest review.

Greta’s life is changing in many ways. She’s starting middle school, preparing to move to a new neighborhood, and her body’s, well, not quite as advanced as some of her classmates, but oh well. When she attracts the attention of a boy at her first middle-grades party, she feels like she fits in. But then something happens that she can’t quite make sense of, let alone talk about. What follows is something I did not see coming.

I feel like this book would make for a powerful conversation starter for students on the topics of sexual harassment and consent. There are not many books on this topic, so this would be a perfect addition to any library.

I did struggle a bit with some of the symbolism in the book. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but while I enjoyed and found some of it really interesting and unique, the ending left me a little frustrated. While it may make for good conversation, it left me unsatisfied and I would be curious to hear what the author’s intentions were with how it wrapped up.

Thank you to J.S. Lemon, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of the book for an honest review.

I requested this because the premise sounded so interesting for a children's book and it was a good read. It's a simple yet interesting story with elements of magical realism that explores sexual assault in a way that's age-appropriate and can spark conversations about consent and trauma. The story is enjoyable, so I see the intended audience engaging with this very easily and then getting even more out of it through guided discussion in the classroom.

I wanted to cradle Greta so many times, and I wish someone had held her safely. I wish she’d talked to an adult, I wish she’d tried to get justice, but victims don’t always speak up or can’t always speak up, so Greta grew and evolved. She became someone who loved the body she was in and who could no longer be harmed. And I love that for her.

Some of the writing didn’t hit quite right for me, mostly in certain word choices, and it’s hard to explain it. Just like they didn’t sound quite thirteen? It’s such a hit or miss around that age, idk why

But on the other hand, some writing punched me in the face, especially the mother. Obsessed with her appearances and therefore her daughter’s appearance as an extension of herself. Lotti considering Greta beautiful at all stages. This line: “God forbid I was an angry girl; there’s even a word for girls who show their anger. And no one wants to be called one of those.”

This book was kinda exactly what I expected and also not at all what I was expecting. I’m not sure if it actually works as middle grade fiction, but I really did enjoy it.