Overview

As endearing as it is humorous, this debut middle grade novel by Jess Callans is a tender, queer coming of age story about the courage it takes to find your own voice and choosing to just be. Puberty, AKA the ultimate biological predator, is driving a wedge between soon-to-be 13 year old Ollie Thompson and their lifelong friends. Too much of a girl for their neighborhood hockey team, but not girly enough for their boy-crazed BFF, Ollie doesn't know where they fit. And their usual ability to camouflage? Woefully disrupted. When a school project asks them to write an essay on what it means to be a woman (if anyone's got an answer, that'd be great), and one of their new friends is the target of bullying, Ollie is caught between the safety of fleeing from their own differences or confronting the risks of fighting to take their own path forward.

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9781250331342

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Reviews

""Clear echoes of Judy Blume...A range of readers should relate to Ollie's sense of otherness. As Ollie puts it, 'Being yourself can hurt, ' but awkward and self-aware stories like Ollie's can help more tweens 'just be.' "" --Booklist, starred review ""Tackles the hard-hitting topics of neurodiversity, gender identity, and the powers of peer pressure... A vital read that celebrates the power of true authenticity, this is a must-buy for middle school collections."" -School Library Journal (starred) ""As endearing as it is hilarious, Ollie in Between is Jess Callans' laugh-out-loud debut about surviving the chaos of growing up and finding the courage to speak up for others, and, most importantly, yourself. This tender, queer coming-of-age tale shows how sometimes the only way to survive is to embrace your weird and choose your own path."" --Aiden Thomas, New York Times-bestselling author of Cemetery Boys ""Wholesome, heartfelt, and important. One of my favorite books of the year."" --Erin Entrada Kelly, 2018 Newbery Medal winner for Hello, Universe ""A tender, modern Are You There God, It's Me Margaret for any kid with a uterus trying to figure out their place in the world. Jess Callans shines in this funny, heartbreaking, and heart-repairing novel about a 13-year-old kid discovering who they're meant to be."" --Nicole Melleby, award-winning author of Hurricane Season ""Callans's debut is an empathetic exploration of identity that will resonate with young readers carving out their own definition of self. Infused with equal amounts serious, topical conversation, and gently humorous observation, Ollie in Between is a middle grade classic in the making. "" --A. J. Sass, award-winning author of Ellen Outside the Lines and Ana on the Edge

""Debut author Callans' confiding tone leans into Ollie's flummoxed first-person ruminations with rhetorical questions that probe moments of deep vulnerability and hope . . . . Clear echoes of Judy Blume couple with themes of social adaptation that rely a bit heavily on analogies to the animal kingdom, but a range of readers should relate to Ollie's sense of otherness. As Ollie puts it, 'Being yourself can hurt, ' but awkward and self-aware stories like Ollie's can help more tweens 'just be.' "" -- Booklist, starred review ""As endearing as it is hilarious, Ollie in Between is Jess Callans' laugh-out-loud debut about surviving the chaos of growing up and finding the courage to speak up for others, and, most importantly, yourself. This tender, queer coming-of-age tale shows how sometimes the only way to survive is to embrace your weird and choose your own path."" --Aiden Thomas, New York Times-bestselling author of Cemetery Boys ""Wholesome, heartfelt, and important. One of my favorite books of the year."" --Erin Entrada Kelly, 2018 Newbery Medal winner for Hello, Universe ""A tender, modern Are You There God, It's Me Margaret for any kid with a uterus trying to figure out their place in the world. Jess Callans shines in this funny, heartbreaking, and heart-repairing novel about a 13-year-old kid discovering who they're meant to be."" --Nicole Melleby, award-winning author of Hurricane Season ""Callans's debut is an empathetic exploration of identity that will resonate with young readers carving out their own definition of self. Infused with equal amounts serious, topical conversation, and gently humorous observation, Ollie in Between is a middle grade classic in the making. "" --A. J. Sass, award-winning author of Ellen Outside the Lines and Ana on the Edge

Author Information

Jess Callans is a queer children's author and wanna-be-illustrator with an MFA from Rosemont College. He lives outside of Philly with his partner and four amazing kids, where they collectively bake, garden, and tirelessly pursue the human experience.

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