DIFFERENT KINDS OF FRUIT

A girl on the cusp of middle school searches for understanding about herself, her parents, and the changing world around her.

At the start of sixth grade, White cisgender girl Annabelle doesn’t dare hope for surprises from her final year at her private school in the suburbs of Seattle. She itches to escape and discover wonders awaiting her outside the confines of her neighborhood—like drag brunch. However, her expectations for a boring year are turned upside down when Bailey, a White nonbinary student with the coolest rainbow shoes, and a new teacher with exciting plans for the curriculum join Annabelle’s class. Unfamiliar feelings pull Annabelle into a fast friendship with Bailey despite her father’s vocal disapproval and her mother’s discomfort. Confronting her parents about their attitudes uncovers a side of her family history that Annabelle never could have imagined. Annabelle’s first-person narration snaps with vivacious personality and humor. Lively banter and quirky facts contribute levity as Annabelle explores topics that weigh on her like privilege, climate change, privacy, and her own lack of vocabulary to describe her identity. Even adults in the story, particularly Annabelle’s father, face challenges to their beliefs that require them to reflect and grow. Lukoff reflects diversity in the world around Annabelle while also heightening her awareness of spaces that are not as inclusive as they claim to be and exploring what to do with that understanding.

Inquisitive, engaged, and action-seeking.