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A review by caitfoges
Hazel's Theory of Evolution by Lisa Jenn Bigelow
5.0
~ 5.0 ~
This is a perfect Middle Grades novel - heartfelt through and through. Plus there are gay moms AND goats! What more could you want?!
I relate so deeply to Hazel, who feels all the feelings and finds solace in encyclopedias and her animal friends. I too lost a best friend to cheerleading and not being "cool enough." Middle School is tough, and even moreso while experiencing heartbreak at home (content warning for miscarriage, but it is handled with such care).
Hazel is cautious about hoping, preferring to hibernate instead. Yet, as Hazel realizes, "Friendship might be a twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity." What joy to find friends who love and appreciate you for who you are, oddities and all. One of Hazel's new friends is trans, and the other is disabled, and both of their stories are told with such grace, acknowledging their struggles without making their "otherness" their entire identity.
I can't wait to share this book with kids in my life, and I definitely recommend it to adults too! Oh and the author's note at the end - my heart
This is a perfect Middle Grades novel - heartfelt through and through. Plus there are gay moms AND goats! What more could you want?!
I relate so deeply to Hazel, who feels all the feelings and finds solace in encyclopedias and her animal friends. I too lost a best friend to cheerleading and not being "cool enough." Middle School is tough, and even moreso while experiencing heartbreak at home (content warning for miscarriage, but it is handled with such care).
Hazel is cautious about hoping, preferring to hibernate instead. Yet, as Hazel realizes, "Friendship might be a twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity." What joy to find friends who love and appreciate you for who you are, oddities and all. One of Hazel's new friends is trans, and the other is disabled, and both of their stories are told with such grace, acknowledging their struggles without making their "otherness" their entire identity.
I can't wait to share this book with kids in my life, and I definitely recommend it to adults too! Oh and the author's note at the end - my heart