Review | Unstuck

Summary: Unstuck

Lyla is an overlooked second child with a big sister who seems perfect — smart, beautiful, favored by her parents, and socially adept. In contrast, Lyla has one best friend from whom she’s been separated, thanks to zoning laws. She now goes to Whitfield while her best friend Rania attends Dickinson, another middle school in the area. But now Rania is making new friends on her track team, two of whom Gracie and Maeve have a history of bullying other kids like Journey, a quirky girl who befriends Lyla at Whitfield. Although Lyla loves to write, she struggles with anxiety and writer’s block because she wants to impress her writing teacher and win a contest. With all the pressure, despite having a brilliant fantasy story idea, Lyla is stuck with writers’ block. As she navigates admitting to the problem, writing for the joy of writing (not awards, or impressing people), she also begins to build a new friend network, including Journey, Noah, and Stella (a classmate she didn’t like at first).

The Good

I FLEW through this one and really loved it. It’s obviously written by an EXPERT who understands how to write for kids. Lyla is a highly relatable character, especially for the kids who love to write and sometimes overthink their process. This book includes snippets of Lyla’s writing, which I think will be nice for the young readers crafting their own stories. I loved all the writing exercises and tips her teacher shares with her and the back matter of this book actually features “25 tips for getting unstuck” from the author.

Lyla’s friendship dynamics are fascinating, too, because she’s hanging onto one friend for dear life while that friend desperately wants to grow her circle. Then, when Lyla gets the chance to make new friends, she’s almost a bit judgmental of some of the new kids. I loved seeing her figure out what makes a good friend and learn to be a great friend herself.

Another key part of this story is Lyla’s family. Her parents obviously have a favorite child so kids who often feel like second-best to their siblings will find this relatable. However, she soon discovers that her sister’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems, and she eventually gets a chance to be there for her big sister. I really liked how realistic Lyla is and seeing the bits and pieces of her fantasy story that mirrored her own life and relationship with her sister.

Content Notes

Here are some specifics to know about the content.

Content Warnings

• Death: None
• Alcohol/substance abuse: None
• Sexual content: Mentions of a boy crushing on a girl.
• Violence: None

Diversity

• Ethnic: Main characters are white
• Sexual orientation: Dahlia’s best friend is gay (still closeted), and Lyla considers adding a non-binary sidekick in her story.

Recommended for ages: 10+

Good for kids who like:

• Books with writer protagonists
• Drawing Deena by Hena Khan
• Other books by Barbara Dee
• Books about navigating anxiety

Publisher Details

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