Do you remember how cringe middle school was? Would you like to be sucked right back into that vortex via second-hand embarrassment? Or are you a middle schooler (or approaching middle schooler) yourself?

If you answered no to either of the last two questions, this might not be the book for you.

Jackie is entering middle school. Armed with her male best friend, Milo, Jackie isn't worried about middle school. But when Milo joins the soccer team and starts spending more time with his teammates than her, Jackie finds herself struggling. She devises a plan: send herself secret admirer notes to get the other girls off her back. But it won't be long until her lies all come crashing down.

This is an excruciating read as an adult because I have done everything I can to block out middle school. The hormones, the need to fit in, the emotions that were so far from in check I don't know how I survived have been hidden and reading this made me remember all those horrible moments.

But I can also recognize that this is a really well done book! Kids are going to love it. It is fantastic!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was okay.

While I did relate to Jackie’s struggle to fit in with the kids at school, I didn’t find her very likeable. She also kept making bad decisions, I wanted her to stop.

Overall, this wasn’t the book for me, but I can see middle graders enjoying it more than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of Dear Jackie by Jessixa Bagley for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

For fans of Raina Telgemeier and Svetlana Chmakova’s Berrybrook Middle School series, this is a fun, relatable, and yikes story of entering middle school. Imagine you and your best friend who share all these memories, fun times, and interests entering the wild of middle school. You think it’ll be the same, but you’ve heard the horror stories and you’re bracing for the worst. And then… yes, it’s AWFUL! Everyone thinks you dress weird, look weird, are weird, and they want you to conform to what they think is cool. For those who have been there and those who managed to escape the awfulness of a stereotypical cringe-worthy middle school experience, this story is perfect for upper elementary and middle school students who need a story that likely represents at least part of their experience (or future experience). A must purchase for middle school and public libraries and a recommended read for anyone about to enter middle school. Look no further for a purposeful tale with fun illustrations, a great storyline, strong and relatable characters and a diverse cast. Main characters are non-white, LGBTQ+ and disabled and are all authentically represented and do not present as token characters. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this one pre-publication and am excited that such a story of pre-teen angst is being presented in graphic novel format. I would definitely read another Jessixa Bagley graphic novel!

The art style and font choice in Dear Jackie are beautiful, with a less sterile, more crayon like, hand drawn feeling. This story explores two best friends aging up in school together. The changes her classmates are going through and beginning to impose on her are hitting Jackie hard. She’s not ready for half of the things her peers are saying they are. Jackie’s friend Milo must learn to stand up for his friends to bullies and not succumb to peer pressure. A great read for any children's collection. Includes age appropriate discussion of crushes as well as exploration of a trans or gender nonconforming character.

Funny, heartfelt, and so relatable—my daughter devoured it, and I totally saw middle school me in Jackie too.”

If your kid loves Raina Telgemeier, Dear Jackie is a perfect next read. It’s got all the awkward growing-up feels: shifting friendships, cringey choices, and that desperate middle school desire to fit in. Jackie is endearing and flawed in the best way—her fake love letter idea made my daughter laugh and want to hide under a blanket.

This graphic novel handles gender expectations, friendship changes, and self-acceptance with humor and empathy. Some parts felt a little rushed toward the end, but overall, it’s a win—especially for tweens figuring out who they are.