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angelikareadsavariciously's review
4.0
I’m not of the age this story is meant for, but it was pleasant and funny at times.
aidanquinn's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hstapp's review against another edition
4.0
Liv is a closeted trans boy just entering middle school. Unfortunately, his middle school has a strict dress code, and he doesn't know how he's going to survive the dysphoria brought on by wearing a skirt all the time. Things just get worse as he discovers he and his friend have grown a part and he has to deal with homophobia when students learn that he has two mothers.
I'm a bit wary about books by (apparently) cis authors dealing with trans material, but the author's note does make it look like Cat did consult with some trans people about this story. Overall it's a pretty standard dealing with middleschool story, but with a number of queer and disability elements integrated into the story.
I love Liv's home life and how that is styled, and I like his budding relationship with Jacob and how its never hinted at that that relationship my be romantic. It's really a nice change. I don't think the book is without issue, but I think overall it is well done.
Really though, shape changing would totally have been on that list of best superpowers.
I'm a bit wary about books by (apparently) cis authors dealing with trans material, but the author's note does make it look like Cat did consult with some trans people about this story. Overall it's a pretty standard dealing with middleschool story, but with a number of queer and disability elements integrated into the story.
I love Liv's home life and how that is styled, and I like his budding relationship with Jacob and how its never hinted at that that relationship my be romantic. It's really a nice change. I don't think the book is without issue, but I think overall it is well done.
Really though, shape changing would totally have been on that list of best superpowers.
dilleo55's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
gread diversity, LGBT and disability,
msvenner's review
5.0
This is a great book for a younger middle grade audience. The reader gets to join along with the protagonist as he figures things out. It is a gentle look at the journey of trans kids and a loving example of a non-traditional family. I look forward to sharing this one with students,
tchoupicalme's review against another edition
3.0
Un bon petit roman sur la transidentité mais qui ne parle pas uniquement de ça. J’ai trouvé le personnage principal assez égoïste, même s’il finit par avoir un petit développement de pensée. En fait qu’il n’y ait pas de romance est super. On parle vraiment d’un garçon de 11 ans, dans un collège qui ne veut que pouvoir porter un pantalon dans son établissement. On parle aussi d’amitié, d’harcèlement, d’homophobie,… sans passer par la case romance.
Je pense juste que je n’ai pas été transporté, surtout que ça faisait des années que je voulais le lire et que j’arrivais jamais à le trouver en librairie
Je pense juste que je n’ai pas été transporté, surtout que ça faisait des années que je voulais le lire et que j’arrivais jamais à le trouver en librairie
whpltab's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
The main character of The Pants Project is a closeted trans boy called Liv. He’d known he was trans for a while, but was scared to come out to his family or his best friend, Marcie. Having just started middle school, Liv has to deal with the cruelty of children, especially Jade, a stereotypical mean girl who has turned most of the grade against Liv, including his former best friend. Other than Jacob, one of the most popular boys in his grade, and one of the kindest, Liv has basically no-one at school. Jade makes fun of Liv for being boyish, and for having two moms, making jabs about how everyone has a dad except her.
But, one of the worst parts of middle school, for Liv, is that girls are only allowed to wear skirts. Liv hates skirts. They make him feel weird, and anxious. Unfortunately, other than Liv, no one really cares about the dress code, especially not the principal, who claims to understand her, but won’t even look at changing the dress code because there are, “more important things to worry about.” Faced with these obstacles, Liv, Jacob, Jacob’s friends, and a shy girl in their class named Marion stage a protest at their school, calling in Jacob’s dad, who is a photographer, and a bunch of reporters to their school to watch and record the school’s reaction to the girls wearing pants and the boys wearing skirts.
I really enjoyed how Cat Clarke showed that even in middle school, kids can struggle with being themselves, and making friends. Marcie was so desperate to fit in, that she left her best friend for the bullies, and went along with almost every taunt and insult they threw at Liv, and at Liv’s moms, despite the fact that Liv’s moms had treated Marcie like family. It wasn’t entirely her fault, because the pressure of fitting in had gotten to her, and in the end, she chose the right side, but the struggle is still shown.
I also liked how Liv isn’t perfect. He has a temper, and has to remind himself not to punch Jade in the face many times. Marion is another outcast in Liv’s class, but unlike Liv, she appears to have no friends, always sitting alone, and eating alone. Despite Marion being Jade’s other punching bag, Liv avoids Marion, thinking that she’s weird. He basically did the same thing that everyone else was doing to Marion, despite knowing how it felt. Liv finally realizes what he’s doing, and apologizes to Marion, who is more than willing to aid Liv and Jacob with the Pants Project.
In the end, the Pants Project is a story about accepting yourself, even if others don’t.
randomly_kait's review
3.0
I don't know how many times I was outraged on Liv's behalf. Like, SO many things. I did like the theme of acceptance and learning to love and accept others just the way they are. I also really liked the friendship that Liv and Jacob had with each other, and how easily they accepted each other regardless of the problems that they were going through.
I don't know whether or not Liv's situation was portrayed realistically, but I did enjoy how he worked through the situation.
I don't know whether or not Liv's situation was portrayed realistically, but I did enjoy how he worked through the situation.
goreting's review against another edition
4.0
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Pants Project: a trans boy's fight against his school's uniform policy. According to it, all girls must wear skirts, and since no one knows he's actually a boy, he must wear them too. This is extremely unconfortable for him and, on top of it, he's also being bullied.
Liv, a name he's not totally happy with but which is still better than Olivia, is different from the rest of his classmates. Everyone thinks he's a girl but, having short hair and two moms, he's the ideal target for the mean girls at school. However, that won't stop him from trying his best to be allowed to be himself.
This is a middle grade book and, although it deals with what can be considered controversial topics for such a young readership, it does so in a manner that makes it easy for the readers to understand that everyone is different and it's okay to be and accept yourself for who you are.
By letting us know what goes on inside Liv's mind, we can understand how he feels and why he acts the way he does sometimes. It doesn't matter that people might say it's just a phase because he knows who he is and he's willing to do what it takes to be himself. This book also portrays a happy family, which happens to have two moms, showing kids that same-sex relationships can be just as "normal" as the ones they are used to seeing everywhere.
I found that this book, not only was a great example of LGBT+ representation, but also that it mentioned several other issues that aren't discussed enough, such as sexism, consent, catcalling, homophobia, bullying, and disability.
Overall, and although it had some less than great formatting, what matters is the story. And the story of Liv, a boy trying to be a boy, was very enjoyable.
The Pants Project: a trans boy's fight against his school's uniform policy. According to it, all girls must wear skirts, and since no one knows he's actually a boy, he must wear them too. This is extremely unconfortable for him and, on top of it, he's also being bullied.
Liv, a name he's not totally happy with but which is still better than Olivia, is different from the rest of his classmates. Everyone thinks he's a girl but, having short hair and two moms, he's the ideal target for the mean girls at school. However, that won't stop him from trying his best to be allowed to be himself.
This is a middle grade book and, although it deals with what can be considered controversial topics for such a young readership, it does so in a manner that makes it easy for the readers to understand that everyone is different and it's okay to be and accept yourself for who you are.
By letting us know what goes on inside Liv's mind, we can understand how he feels and why he acts the way he does sometimes. It doesn't matter that people might say it's just a phase because he knows who he is and he's willing to do what it takes to be himself. This book also portrays a happy family, which happens to have two moms, showing kids that same-sex relationships can be just as "normal" as the ones they are used to seeing everywhere.
I found that this book, not only was a great example of LGBT+ representation, but also that it mentioned several other issues that aren't discussed enough, such as sexism, consent, catcalling, homophobia, bullying, and disability.
Overall, and although it had some less than great formatting, what matters is the story. And the story of Liv, a boy trying to be a boy, was very enjoyable.
bestdressedbookworm's review
4.0
This was exactly what I thought it would be. My only issue is why is the telling the parents at the end of the book??? Always haha!