You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P!

Alex Gino does it again!! He has such a phenomenal way of writing about sensitive subjects in a way that is thoughtful and understandable to young readers. I really thought this book was only going to be about one thing but I love how he mixed in other subjects as well. Jilly loves to chat online with a group of kids who love the same book series. There she meets another kid who is Deaf. When her baby sister is born Deaf, Jilly wants to know everything she can and how she could help both her sister and her family. Weaved within this narrative is also a story about race. Young African Americans are being shot and no one is really talking about it. Jilly's Aunt is Black and her cousins are too so she fears something could happen to them but no one else in the family want to talk about it. I think the theme of this book is that the best way to understand a topic or situation is to be open to discussing it, as uncomfortable as it may be. Whether she was trying to understand what was going on with race in their area or trying to make sense of the best ways to help her baby sister, Jilly finds that talking about it was the first step -- and learning sign language! This book is fantastic and I highly recommend it, especially for middle school classrooms!! Can't wait for Gino to write another one!