Details

Length: 325
Story Build: slowly builds with multiple conflicts 
Character development: solid 
Age Recommendation: 6th grade and up 
Reasoning: language; discussion of mental health issues that may be jarring at times; mention of suicide 

Summary and Review

Okay, I am always real with you lovely people, and I have to be honest, I loved some aspects of this book (the BIG ones, I promise), but some parts of the book dragged for me. 

The story centers around two characters– Lily and Dunkin– but coincidentally, those are not their given names. Lily is actually named Tim, and Tim wants to be a girl as he has always felt more like a she. 

Lily is well received by her sister, Sarah, and her mother, but her father struggle with accepting that his child is not in fact a son but a daughter. Lily struggles through most of the novel not only to gain acceptance from her father but to also gain the confidence to show her fellow 8th grade peers who she truly is. 

Parallel to Lily’s story is that of Dunkin, or Norbert (his true name). Dunkin receives the nickname due to his constant need for caffeine, which comes in the form of a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. There is a reason for Dunkin’s caffeine intake and that is the meds he takes for his bipolar disorder. His father, also an individual who struggles with bipolar, was the reason that Dunkin moved to Florida from New Jersey. He and his mother are looking to start over while living with his grandmother, a fitness guru and health nut. 

Dunkin and Lily share a great deal in common–both are good souls who are striving to discover where they fit in, but while Lily takes a slow road, Dunkin dives right in with the school bullies. This then presents a conflict for the unlikely duo who could have been real great friends throughout the entirety of the novel. Gephart wants you to consider what will happen to Lily; will she get the hormone blockers and be able to show the community who she truly is? Will Dunkin be able to keep his mental health in a good place and function well in school? Will these two connect? 

Gephart does a really nice job treating both topics, transgenderism and mental health, with care and tenderness. Both of these topics are prevalent in our world, especially with our youth, and she makes them accessible for the YA reader. 

Even the parental struggles are understandable and relatable. Dunkin’s mom wants to make sure her son is okay while also dealing with the absence of her husband, and Lily’s parents struggle to support Lily in her desire to become fully girl. When reading this, I couldn’t help but feel like a parent of a transgender child would benefit from seeing the way Lily’s father transitioned from a position of denial and anger to where he ended up at the conclusion of the novel. 

Celebrations

I really have to praise Donna Gephart for her treatment of these two characters. She wrote about relevant, sensitive topics that are necessary for our young adult readers to be aware of as well as their parents. People, in general, should not be afraid to be their true selves, but we are. Lily and Dunkin are definite heroes in my book for their strength that they ultimately exude at the conclusion of the story. We see their struggles; they are real, and we appreciate how far they come. It is a true story of acceptance and understanding, especially with the characters of Lily’s father and the school bully. And, without spoiling anything, the ending is very touching.

Hesitations

There were parts of the novel that dragged for me. Ultimately I think that the characters in the periphery were too flat. I wish they weren’t as cliche or typical and that their personalities were more developed beyond their dialogue. Furthermore, I felt like there was a lot of telling versus showing of events. I think description could have made the story more vivid and engaging. But these things ultimately do not take away from Gephart’s touching story or her message of acceptance, which I think every child needs to read about.