Redwood and Ponytail: (Novels for Preteen Girls, Children’s Fiction on Social Situations, Fiction Books for Young Adults, LGBTQ Books, Stories in Verse)

******reviewed from uncorrected ARC*****

children's diverse middlegrade novel in verse (two 7th grade girls fall into 'like' and come out to their families and schoolmates)

sweet, very relatable story dealing with the awkward uncertainties of middle school and girls learning to speak up for what makes them happy. I think a lot of kids will benefit from this very readable, very accessible story.

A Sapphic coming out story, told in verse.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley. Trigger warning for homophobia.)

Oh, honey.
If you think being normal is a win,
then I have done my job wrong.

Do you think you are?
Gay, I mean?
Lesbionic?

It's the first day of seventh grade, and Tam and Kate are registering for classes when they spot each other across the gym. On the surface, the girls - soon to be known to each other as Redwood and Ponytail - couldn't be more different. Tam is happy goofing around with her best friend Levi (as short as she is tall), scoring points on the volleyball team, and hanging out with her super-supportive mom and elderly lesbian neighbors, Frankie and Roxy. And with her aspirations to show more be the captain of the cheer squad - not to mention the all-around smartest, most respected girl at school - Kate is all but guaranteed to follow in her high-strung, perfectionist mom's footsteps.

Yet they form a fast and unlikely friendship that soon blossoms into something more. Will everyone be as cool with it as Tam's hippie mom? Can Kate find a way to break free of her mom's overbearing shadow? Will her cheerleader friends still love Kate if she's "lesbionic" - and more comfortable dancing around as the school's mascot than leading them in a routine? And just what is going on with Tam's bestie Levi and Kate's sister Jill?

I love a good novel in verse, and am always in the mood for a F/F love story, so it was inevitable that I take Redwood and Ponytail for a spin. Overall I enjoyed it, though some of the poems were a little too simplistic and rhyme-y for my taste. I'm well above the book's target audience of ten and up, though, so grain of salt.

Perhaps more germane: there's a scene where character z outs character y without any sort of real blowback or consequence, which is problematic as heck. PEOPLE, DO NOT DO THIS, EVEN IF YOU'RE HURT OR YOUR INTENTIONS ARE GOOD. Seriously, not a great example to set for the 10+ crowd.

On the plus side, Holt introduced me to the term "lesbionic," so there's that.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2019/10/01/redwood-and-ponytail-by-k-a-holt/ show less

Told in prose - this middle grade novel explores two girls growing feelings for each other. Kate is a prim and perfect cheerleader. She's popular and has her sights set on being cheer captain. Tam is a volleyball star - she has one best friend and but knows everyone. She doles out high fives like it's going out of style. When the two notice each other for the first time they wonder how it was possible they've never met before. A few casual conversations turns into lunch hangouts, texting, and then seeing each other play at games. The two become inseparable. And as they do their friendship starts to deepen into a little more. But is that what they both want? Emotional and wonderful - a great coming of age story about the complications of show more discovering your true identity. show less

A quick read written in verse about two girls, Kate and Tam who take notice of each other at the beginning of the school year. Their paths keep crossing, their connection grows, and each of the girls need to decide what that means for her. Tam's mom is supportive as are her neighbors, an married lesbian couple. Kate's mom wants perfection and has a specific idea of success. As the two girls navigate their relationship and feelings about each other the poetry includes conversation and reflections. Between chapters a trio of girls, almost like a Greek chorus, recap and foreshadow about what is happening with the story.

Kate and Tam are 7th graders starting the school year. Kate is a cheerleader, aspiring to be captain and follow in her (uptight) mother’s footsteps. She is pretty and her house is perfectly maintained. Tam (short for Tamara), is tall, lanky and a volleyball star, looser and informal. Her mother is a hippie. The girls are drawn to each other in an opposites-attract way. But while Tam seems comfortable in her skin, Kate finds herself conflicted about who she is, torn between the expectations of her mother and the cheer squad, and what she is discovering about herself. This confusion threatens to break their new relationship.

I absolutely love this book. I have never felt more seen and understood and it has never made me want to cry more. It’s a beautiful thing for a book to be able to make me equally happy and sad. 10 out of 10 will read again.

A novel in verse about the growing relationship between two middle school girls - a vollyball playing tall jock and a cheerleader.