A review by bickie
Different Kinds of Fruit by Kyle Lukoff

I loved the nuances of Annabelle's family's experience, her experiences with Bailey, and her own questioning and wondering. I also appreciated the exploration of school administrators' talking about inclusion and safe spaces while making decisions that do the opposite. The students' activism provided some models for how to take action, and with the exception of Dixon, the kids all seemed to be pretty respectful and caring toward one another.

I think this book will appeal to several of my students if they can get past the slow start. I almost DNF due to the voice of the narrator, who is starting 6th grade but sometimes sounds a bit off. I didn't find that this book had the easy flowing grace of Too Bright to See.

Spoiler

Although it is included to show how Annabelle learns and overcomes prejudice/old opinions, I found myself cringing at her description of the other Annabelle early on in the book. I imagined some of my students reading that and seeing themselves in the other Annabelle and being hurt by it. While the other Annabelle ends up being pretty cool, it takes a while, and I wish the description had been a little less hurtful.

I was also a little uncomfortable with Annabelle's following in her mom's footsteps and her mom's saying that some of her "fabulousness" definitely rubbed off on Annabelle. It felt like it played into the anti-LGBTQ+ narrative that LGBTQ+ adoptive parents will turn their children gay.