Hello! I’m here with another installment in my Buzzword Readathon series. **And every day we are reminded that discrimination against marginalized communities is still a serious problem, so click here to find a compilation of resources where you can donate your time, money, or whatever you can to support these communities. I still encourage you to research these causes on your own to educate yourself and find the best way to lend your support.**
This is the second post in my Buzzword-a-thon series for 2022. In case you’re new here, Buzzword-a-thon (or Buzzword Readathon) was originally created by Kayla at the YouTube channel booksandlala. It centers around readers choosing books that include specific words or ‘types’ of words. This is the second year where all 12 prompts were selected in advance and it’s being loosely hosted once a month on sites like Goodreads and Storygraph. Last year had an even split of specific words and themed-words alternating every month, but this year it’s more themed-based with a few original buzzword catagories making a reappearance from past read-a-thons. In 2022, I am challenging myself to read at least one book that satisfies the prompt every month, and suggesting books I’ve read previsously that would also fufill it within these posts. The theme for February was “pronouns / possession words,” which gave us a lot of freedom in terms of books to choose, and books to recommend from me. So there are plenty of other books with pronouns and possession words to choose from, I’m only choosing a few for my last section of this post. But I’m really excited to talk about my pick to fulfill this month’s prompt.
Book read in February: Spin With Me by Ami Polonsky
When Essie’s dad takes a temporary teaching position in a different city, she starts counting down the 110 days until she can return to her old school, and be with her friends again. Then she meets Ollie, a nonbinary classmate who has blue eyes, a confident smile, and who makes her feel zaps whenever they’re around. Soon Essie realizes she’s no longer rushing for those 110 days to be over, but trying to make the most of the time she has with Ollie. Meanwhile, Ollie is experiencing a crush of their own, on a girl who they know isn’t there to stay, while also trying to juggle school, queer advocacy, and just being a kid. “Can the two unwind the merry-go-round of feelings before it’s too late?”
I’ve had this book on my kindle for a while now, and didn’t re-read the synopsis before diving in, so it was such a pleasant surprise when halfway through the book it resets things so we get to follow the events through Ollie’s point of view. I loved how this book was able to capture the essence of being a kid – trying to balance school and extracurriculars, trying to still connect with friends even if you’re far away from them, realizing your parents don’t understand you as well as you think they should, and maybe dealing with those pesky things called feelings. I really hope other kids, especially those who may be questioning their gender, can pick up this book and feel connected to Ollie in some way, and I appreciated that while they do feel it’s important to be an advocate, especially when they’ve felt so unseen before, there was so much more to them. All the adults in Ollie’s life are incredibly informed, understanding, and loving, so that was also nice to see. Kids can be mean when they don’t understand things, and it was good to see Essie’s friends come to her defense and educate each other so that no one says anything hurtful, intentionally or unintentionally. I will say I wanted more from the story at times – some of the chapters are incredibly short, and the next one may pick up days later so we really don’t get to see much action. It allowed me to get through the story relatively quickly, but, in my opinion, left much to be desired. I do understand that this is a middle grade novel, and I am not the target audience, so I will say that this does increase accessibility, so more readers who may not be able to get through long chapters at a time can still enjoy and get a lot out of it. Overall, I’m extremely glad I picked this up, and truly hope it gets into the hands of young kids who may need to feel seen and understood.
In the “about the author section” at the end of this book, it says that Ami Polonsky is a parent of two kids, one of whom exists happily beneath the trans umbrella. When I looked at this book on Goodreads, I found a review by E. Polonsky, where it says that the character of Ollie was based off of them (you can find the full short and sweet review here). I appreciate the love that went into the character of Ollie and I truly hope that other kids like them can pick up this book and see themselves represented.
In conclusion, that’s another month in the books. Can’t wait to see what other reads this read-a-thon has in store for me this year.
Where to Find Spin With Me:
Bookshop
Amazon
Goodreads
Storygraph
Ami Polonsky’s site
Additional Book Recommendations:
–Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, and Finding My Place by Jackson Bird (Memoir)
–You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (YA Contemporary) – review
–As Far as You’ll Take Me by Phil Stamper (YA Contemporary) – review – interview with author
–Never Saw You Coming by Erin Hahn (YA Contemporary) – review
–Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee (YA Sci-fi/Fantasy)
–You Will Get Through This Night by Daniel Howell (Self-help)
–She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen (YA Contemporary)
–Fire Becomes Her by Rosiee Thor (YA Fantasy) – review
–His Quiet Agent by Ada Maria Soto (Adult Romance)
–I Knew Him by Abigail de Niverville (YA Contemporary)
–The Genome Odyssey: Medical Mysteries and the Incredible Quest to Solve Them by Dr. Euan Angus Ashley (Non-fiction) – review
–Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf (YA Fantasy)
–The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver (YA Contemporary)
–Things We Couldn’t Say by Jay Coles (YA Contemporary)
–Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert (YA Contemporary)
Thoughts About Things 