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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
Read in June 2017 and revisited in September 2017 for my Adolescent Lit Class. This is my journal entry.
Star- Crossed by Barbara Dee
Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee is the kind of middle grade book that makes you want to stop everything and write a middle grade novel. In a world where Middle Grade novels are stuck between trying to entertain their readers and the authors trying to impart some sort of wisdom on their readers, Star-Crossed is a stunning and unexpected novel. What originally brought me to Star-Crossed was a post by a Lesbians-In-Lit blog about upcoming queer novels coming out. But what made me track it and watch for a sale—where I bought the book for a mere $1.99 on my Kindle back in May—was the blog post written about the book by the author’s daughter.
The fervent watch and need for diverse voices in upcoming MG and YA lit is no secret. Queer readers and queer writers are constantly undermined and in many cases, pushed aside in favor for a queer narrative by a heterosexual writer writing “outside of their own experience.” But this often perpetuates an internalized homophobia that in many cases, the writer has no idea that they’re holding. I’ve read many a “queer” novel written by straight women for straight women (we’re not going to get into the fetishization of the gays by the hetero female gaze, but I digress). They’re boring. They’re bland. They make assumptions about queerness and gayness. And I foolishly thought Barbara Dee would fall into this cesspool of queer novels that just ring untrue and potentially harmful for a young reader. She’s straight. She’s a middle aged mom. And every single other novel she has written was inherently heterosexual (meaning she might have been jumping onto the queer “trend” in MG/YA publishing). In theory, she’s the perfect candidate for writing one of these books I’m rightfully scared of.
Her daughter’s blog post, however, instilled an insane amount of hope for the novel. Barbara Dee’s daughter came out as queer after her senior prom. While Dee was shocked, she accepted it and her daughter moved away for college (what is it about kids telling such major secrets to their parents before they leave for college, by the way?). Her daughter got an email while she was in college from Dee saying that she needed help with her new novel. In short, she wanted to write a protagonist like her daughter, to remind young girls (and boys) that it’s perfectly fine and natural and amazing to have a crush on someone the same gender as you. The novel was edited and fixed and brought to life with the help of a queer beta-reader and her daughter had nothing but praise for the book that came forth.
This is what I think helped make this book so successful. The book ended up less of a grown woman being like: I guess queer children exist and resulted more in a sense of: this is how queer children exist. By Dee using her daughter as a sounding board, the story ultimately ends up as a subversion of what we expect: instead of the crush never carrying through into something more, we have Mattie and Gemma going on something that resembles a date. Neither girl is stereotypically a lesbian with short hair and flannels (though, many lesbians do have short hair and wear flannels). Instead, we just see what (to me) is a more truthful and authentic portrayal of queerness both in general and for youths.
Favorite Quotes from my Reading:
“‘How do you know if you like someone because you really do like that person, or if you like him only because you think you’re supposed to?’” (33%)
It’s moments like this that I realized that I wish were present in adolescent lit when I was a kid. Enforced and instilled heterosexuality brings so many unknown reactions to how we’re supposed to react to the feeling of liking girls when you think you’re supposed to like boys. Dee introduces readers to Mattie’s internal struggle with what it means to have a crush on someone, even if her newest crush ends up being completely out of left field.
“All I could think about was Gemma kissing Liam, Liam kissing Gemma—and wondering why that image made my insides knot up.” (38%)
Only 5% (sorry for the unhelpfulness of percentages) after the first sprinklings of doubt in Mattie’s mind. Readers are able to see clearly the uncertainty of how a crush is supposed to feel that feels both universal (in correlation with crushes just always are riddled with doubt) and inherently queer (is it alright to have these feelings?).
“‘How about this—Romeo, you lean in several times as if you want to kiss Juliet, but Juliet, you always pull back.’” (85%)
I enjoyed this because I literally just had a flash of correlation between this suggestion and the Darcy confession in the 2005 Joe Wright Pride and Prejudice. That want/need to kiss but it never happens and makes everybody just frustrated at their investment at the relationship. I like the parallel because while it probably wasn’t something Dee intended (while there was an actual reference to Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s)—I enjoyed how it seemed to take one of the most infamous heterosexual couples on the planet and made it queer.
Star- Crossed by Barbara Dee
Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee is the kind of middle grade book that makes you want to stop everything and write a middle grade novel. In a world where Middle Grade novels are stuck between trying to entertain their readers and the authors trying to impart some sort of wisdom on their readers, Star-Crossed is a stunning and unexpected novel. What originally brought me to Star-Crossed was a post by a Lesbians-In-Lit blog about upcoming queer novels coming out. But what made me track it and watch for a sale—where I bought the book for a mere $1.99 on my Kindle back in May—was the blog post written about the book by the author’s daughter.
The fervent watch and need for diverse voices in upcoming MG and YA lit is no secret. Queer readers and queer writers are constantly undermined and in many cases, pushed aside in favor for a queer narrative by a heterosexual writer writing “outside of their own experience.” But this often perpetuates an internalized homophobia that in many cases, the writer has no idea that they’re holding. I’ve read many a “queer” novel written by straight women for straight women (we’re not going to get into the fetishization of the gays by the hetero female gaze, but I digress). They’re boring. They’re bland. They make assumptions about queerness and gayness. And I foolishly thought Barbara Dee would fall into this cesspool of queer novels that just ring untrue and potentially harmful for a young reader. She’s straight. She’s a middle aged mom. And every single other novel she has written was inherently heterosexual (meaning she might have been jumping onto the queer “trend” in MG/YA publishing). In theory, she’s the perfect candidate for writing one of these books I’m rightfully scared of.
Her daughter’s blog post, however, instilled an insane amount of hope for the novel. Barbara Dee’s daughter came out as queer after her senior prom. While Dee was shocked, she accepted it and her daughter moved away for college (what is it about kids telling such major secrets to their parents before they leave for college, by the way?). Her daughter got an email while she was in college from Dee saying that she needed help with her new novel. In short, she wanted to write a protagonist like her daughter, to remind young girls (and boys) that it’s perfectly fine and natural and amazing to have a crush on someone the same gender as you. The novel was edited and fixed and brought to life with the help of a queer beta-reader and her daughter had nothing but praise for the book that came forth.
This is what I think helped make this book so successful. The book ended up less of a grown woman being like: I guess queer children exist and resulted more in a sense of: this is how queer children exist. By Dee using her daughter as a sounding board, the story ultimately ends up as a subversion of what we expect: instead of the crush never carrying through into something more, we have Mattie and Gemma going on something that resembles a date. Neither girl is stereotypically a lesbian with short hair and flannels (though, many lesbians do have short hair and wear flannels). Instead, we just see what (to me) is a more truthful and authentic portrayal of queerness both in general and for youths.
Favorite Quotes from my Reading:
“‘How do you know if you like someone because you really do like that person, or if you like him only because you think you’re supposed to?’” (33%)
It’s moments like this that I realized that I wish were present in adolescent lit when I was a kid. Enforced and instilled heterosexuality brings so many unknown reactions to how we’re supposed to react to the feeling of liking girls when you think you’re supposed to like boys. Dee introduces readers to Mattie’s internal struggle with what it means to have a crush on someone, even if her newest crush ends up being completely out of left field.
“All I could think about was Gemma kissing Liam, Liam kissing Gemma—and wondering why that image made my insides knot up.” (38%)
Only 5% (sorry for the unhelpfulness of percentages) after the first sprinklings of doubt in Mattie’s mind. Readers are able to see clearly the uncertainty of how a crush is supposed to feel that feels both universal (in correlation with crushes just always are riddled with doubt) and inherently queer (is it alright to have these feelings?).
“‘How about this—Romeo, you lean in several times as if you want to kiss Juliet, but Juliet, you always pull back.’” (85%)
I enjoyed this because I literally just had a flash of correlation between this suggestion and the Darcy confession in the 2005 Joe Wright Pride and Prejudice. That want/need to kiss but it never happens and makes everybody just frustrated at their investment at the relationship. I like the parallel because while it probably wasn’t something Dee intended (while there was an actual reference to Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s)—I enjoyed how it seemed to take one of the most infamous heterosexual couples on the planet and made it queer.
I kind of feel like I've just read Romeo and Juliet instead of a middlegrade. This book was very heavily focussed on the play, and it felt a little like reading an English class at times. I really don't think this needed that much analyzing and interpreting of Shakespeare.
Aside from the setting being used as the main plot though, I did mostly enjoy this. It was cute, and the way the pre-teens were portrayed felt very genuine. It seemed a little strange to me that there isn't actually a lot of interaction between the main character and the love interest, though.
Aside from the setting being used as the main plot though, I did mostly enjoy this. It was cute, and the way the pre-teens were portrayed felt very genuine. It seemed a little strange to me that there isn't actually a lot of interaction between the main character and the love interest, though.
NOTE: I read the original hardcover edition, but I now have learned that the paperback actually has the word bisexual in it! A line of dialogue was added.
Awww, this was so cute in such an age-appropriate way? And theater and Shakespeare!! I do wish the word "bisexual" has been used since that didn't seem without the realm of knowledge from the characters. I also kind of wish Willow was more explored. But yeah. It was good.
Awww, this was so cute in such an age-appropriate way? And theater and Shakespeare!! I do wish the word "bisexual" has been used since that didn't seem without the realm of knowledge from the characters. I also kind of wish Willow was more explored. But yeah. It was good.
This book was one of the most adorable things I have ever read.
This was really cute! Of course being a children's book it's going to be cute, but I really loved the interaction between Mattie and Gemma. It was nice too that Mattie had a crush on both a boy and a girl; there needs to be more books with bisexual characters. Also I'm going to start reading more of Shakespeare's plays, starting with Romeo and Juliet.
I really enjoyed the story of Mattie and her developing crush and her struggling with her identity. There is A LOT of Shakespeare in this one, though - more than even I anticipated - and I can see some kids getting a bit annoyed with that. Also, I found the ending a bit of a disappointment. I'd probably give this 3.5 stars if I could because the main story is so sweet, but I didn't quite love it.
Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy, provided via Edelweiss.
Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy, provided via Edelweiss.
This was absolutely adorable and necessary. It's perfectly appropriate for the age group, discusses crushes in an excellent way, and just captures those feelings of middle school so well. Loved it.
I like it, I do. It just doesn't feel like there's much there.
I'll always love books about doing theater in middle school and high school because that was my life--even if I never got up and acted on stage. Mattie is a perfectly eighth grade character who has not yet figured out what a crush should feel like or why her friends are acting so weird. She loves her friends, she finds out she loves Shakespeare--especially Romeo and Juliet. And then she realizes she has a crush on girl, although really, it's a friend who figures it out for her because Mattie has never had these feelings. Her sexuality isn't named, it's explored like kids so often explore their sexuality in eighth grade--through talking, thinking and potentially planning a date with the beautiful girl she is crushing on. Definitely pair with Better Nate than Ever and Drama--all hit that note of theatricality and budding sexuality in middle school.
It's a much needed book: a super fun middle-grade about a 13yo girl who gets a crush on a girl and starts questioning her sexuality. Too bad it isn't more popular, it's seriously good.