Hazel is a quiet seventh grader who likes to keep to herself and generally doesn't care about much beyond winning a speech contest--that is, until the day the only other kid who speaks to her spills a "secret" involving her and another girl, Ella. But when she confronts Ella about their supposed romance, she learns that the boy who talks her ear off most mornings is actually a bully who has been harassing girls at their school. Hazel hatches a plan with her new friends to take him down, to somehow let their voices be heard. Too many kids experience sexual harassment; very few of them actually speak up about it and, if they do, they are not always believed. Horne's voice-driven and thoughtful debut will encourage kids who feel powerless to find their own voices and seek out resources if they need to stay safe. The themes of online bullying and unwanted attention will resonate, unfortunately, with many middle-graders, and if Hazel's brave choices can inspire more acts of bravery, all the better.

As inadvertent confidante to oversharer Tyler Harris, 12-year-old narrator Hazel Hill knows all about the hassle of friendships: "Someone is always mad at someone, or hiding something from someone, or pretending not to care when they do." So instead of bonding with other students, she focuses on an upcoming speech contest. But something shifts when Tyler shares another secret: his ex Ella Quinn, who's also Hazel's biggest speech competitor, is interested in Hazel. When Hazel, who likes girls, speaks with Ella, another truth comes to the fore: Ella lied about the crush to get Tyler to stop viciously harassing her online. Hazel's knowledge of Tyler soon corroborates Ella's claim, but when Hazel unites with Ella and her best friend to report Tyler's actions, none of the adults they approach will listen. Instead, the girls realize they must take action to expose the truth. Via Hazel's funny, self-aware voice and a fully rendered secondary cast, Horne's debut realistically limns the seventh graders' plight--including the very real fear of shaming and retaliation--alongside Hazel's organic arc toward friendship and empowerment. Characters default to white. Ages 8--12. Agent: Claire Friedman, Inkwell Management. (Oct.)

Twelve-year-old loner (and snarky, self-aware narrator) Hazel is accustomed to her role as casual confidante for classmate Tyler. But then popular Ella, Hazel's speech competition rival and Tyler's ex-girlfriend, tells Tyler falsely that she has a crush on Hazel to deflect his attention. Unlike Ella and unbeknownst to her, Hazel is gay, and the resulting mix-up when the supposed crush gets back to Hazel, though awkward and not without conflict, leads eventually to Ella and another friend welcoming Hazel into their group. It also leads to revelations involving Ella and other girls that make it clear why someone might want Tyler to leave her alone; i.e., his abusive social media comments, unwelcome physical contact. The novel is honest about sexual harassment and, as the girls try to counteract it, about victim-blaming -- though, without giving too much away, the ending is a heartening one. Tyler's offenses stay within a realm likely comprehensible to most middle schoolers, and that's part of the book's point: harassment at any level should be taken seriously. Shoshana Flax November/December 2022 p.88(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A group of middle school girls take on harassment despite facing challenges. Twelve-year-old Hazel Hill has spent seventh grade focusing on how to win the speech contest and how best to ignore Tyler Harris' incessant talking, until the day Tyler tells her that Ella Quinn, her speech contest nemesis, has a crush on her. No one knows Hazel likes girls, and she doesn't know what to do with this information about Ella. As it turns out, there's more Hazel doesn't know: Tyler has been harassing Ella online. Based on everything Tyler tells Hazel, the two girls, along with Riley Beckett, Ella's best friend, realize that he's probably harassed many other girls. When the three try to report Tyler, they find that the adults they approach don't listen or don't care. Left with no other options, the girls decide to take matters into their own hands. The serious subject matter this novel covers is mediated well through Hazel's wry narration: She is funny, smart, and well adjusted even if she hasn't managed to make friends in middle school. The portrayal of the girls' concerns is also remarkably realistic, from their own reactions and considerations about when to speak up or remain silent to the varied and sometimes-disappointing responses of their parents and teachers. All main characters are assumed to be White. Cleareyed, empowering, and hopeful while still frankly tackling sexual harassment. (notes) (Fiction. 10-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr 5--8--What would you do if you were being sexually harassed online in seventh grade? What would you do if adults didn't believe you, or even blamed you for it? Well, Hazel Hill is going to take matters into her own hands and is determined to not let Tyler get away with his disgusting behavior. Tyler used to talk at Hazel all the time about girls he liked--but when he tells Hazel that her archnemesis Ella Quinn has a crush on her, she realizes how manipulative he can be. Hazel decides to talk to Ella about it (which kind of freaks Hazel out, as she hasn't told anyone she's gay yet), and Ella confides that Tyler has been sexually harassing her online. When they band together with Ella's best friend Riley, they quickly discover that the odds are against them--not only are they not believed by adults, but Ella is victim-blamed for the messages, most of the other girls he's harassing don't want to come forward, and Hazel keeps getting detention. Finally, in the biggest mic drop possible, the girls receive the start of what could be justice. Horne does a wonderful job of keeping the characters true to age while dealing with the realities of online sexual harassment. VERDICT This topical novel is a must-read for tweens and their parents; a recommended first purchase for middle school collections.--Kerri L. Williams