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Reading age
10+
Genre
Realistic fiction
Publisher
Blurb
Publication date
February 14, 2023
A 12-year-old girl must learn to Just Deal with the changes in her life.
Gypsy Sharpe is finally starting high school, though things are changing for her. Her foster sister, Lilliana, moves out to live with her real mom, and her best friend, Tegan, is starting to act like she is too good for Gypsy. As things couldn’t get any worse, her bully, Mahalia, is her new foster sister. How will Gypsy deal with all those significant life changes?
The setting is modern-day Australia, and I learned a shocking new fact about attending school there. Middle schools in Australia are called high schools, generally covering Years 7 to 10. So when I read the blurb, which said Gypsy was starting high school, I didn’t realize it was middle school for us in the USA. Anyway, I love to read books from other countries, cultures, periods, etc., because I love to learn new things, from the school system to a few names of the native tribes in Australia.
As a fostering family, Gypsy has a complicated journey; she struggles with people coming in and out of her life. On top of that, she is starting a new school cycle, and her best friend is ghosting her.
Gypsy is more of a try-hard, a people pleaser, and sometimes a spoiled brat (in my opinion). Mahalia is a character we love to hate, but she eventually grew on me.
Gypsy’s parents were super friendly, and they tried to raise Gypsy to be the best she could be.
Give this book to middle schoolers (in the USA or high Schoolers in Australia) who love good realistic fiction with a teenage girl facing many challenges: siblings’ rivalry, friendships, and along the way learning valuable lessons.
My rating
