Reviews

Different Kinds of Fruit by Kyle Lukoff

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wardenred's review

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Adults think that because they’re in charge of everything right now, they should get a say in what our future looks like. But it’s our future, not theirs. It’s like school and our parents and everyone else is getting us ready to enter a world that doesn’t even exist anymore. Or, if it does, it shouldn’t.

Too Bright to See is probably my favorite middle grade book ever, so I cracked open this other novel by Kyle Lukoff with sky-high expectations. Alas, the book didn’t live up to them. It definitely has a plethora of touching, soulful moments, and the whole subject is so extremely important. I love that there are kids’ books now that talk so candidly and openly about gender, identity, sexuality, etc. There are a few scenes that are going to stick with me for a long time. I loved the hopefulness and the eventual queer joy of it all.

At the same time, I had trouble connecting with the story because Annabelle, the narrator, seemed to be written in a rather inconsistent way. She’s supposed to be 11 or 12, and sometimes I felt she acted that age, but there were some super large chunks of the book where I’d peg her for an 8-year-old or so. And then there was one specific moment where she demonstrated absolute wonders of maturity and emotional regulation that was really cool but also kind of out of character. All those inconsistencies in the MC’s portrayal really took me out of the story.

As for other characters, I really wanted to like Bailey—I always want to like nonbinary characters, I’m biased and hungry for representation, lol. But until pretty late in the book when they did have some complex and relatable moments, they felt less like a character in their own right and more like a narrative instrument that was there to (sometimes) catalyze change and (a lot of the time) educate. In the same vein, a lot of the kids in Annabelle and Bailey’s class often came across as just mouthpieces for specific ideas, or reasons for their teacher to talk about specific ideas. And those ideas are very good and important! But this approach sometimes made the whole thing feel less like a story and more like an educational pamphlet with plot.

The character who fascinated me the most was Annabelle’s dad, and I’m kind of sad that, by virtue of this being a kids’ book, his character arc got so incredibly condensed and rushed. I would love to read an adult novel with him or someone like him as the protagonist.

Content Warnings

thehawk72's review

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2.0

I unfortunately did not really care for this book. I didn’t get much of a personality out of any of the other characters other than being gay. The book read a lot more like an informational comic about the definitions of the LGBTQ+ identities and the correct way to approach them, and then proceeding to be passive aggressive to the 12 year old child main character who literally doesn’t know anything because she’s 12. Incredibly unsatisfying.

shadeyc's review against another edition

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hopeful informative reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Lots of information, if slightly confusing voice/character actions. Not entirely sure what age range this is for.

2busyreading's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

4.25

Content Warnings

rachel_tb's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lizzielulu3's review

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funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Maybe he was right about the people he met a zillion years ago before I was born, but I was not going to let him get away with predicting the future for someone else. I put my fists on my hips and looked him square in the eye. "What if it's only hard because people don't beleive them? What if it was okay to be nonbinary? Maybe more people would be."

***

But first of all, my body's main job is to keep me alive for as long as possible, like everyone else's, so I don't get why people are so hung up on all the other bells and whistles. I guess I'm like a tomato. A lot of people say, 'you're a vegetable because I think that you're a vegetable' and some people are like 'You're a fruit because of the jobs your body parts do.' But I'm the tomato, not them, and tomatoes are great, so why does it even matter? You can put me on pizza or spaghetti or in a salad and one time I had tomato gelato and it was delicious. So I could be a dessert too. Who cares!

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

Thank you to PRH Audio for the ALC, I listened to this in one sitting!

I highly recommend this middle-grade, coming-of-age novel, as it was *not* what I was expecting. I didn't read the premise, and I kind of recommend that because it makes for a more compelling read in my opinion.

11-year-old Annabelle starts sixth grade and makes a new friend who transferred to their school from Seattle, Bailey, who is nonbinary and has they/them pronouns. Annabelle always thought her parents and community were incredibly welcoming, but realizes that Bailey is treated differently and can't help but notice her dad's apprehension to Annabelle's new friendship.

Though the audiobook's narrator made Annabelle sound more like 8 years old rather than 11, I thought the narration helped bring Annabelle's naivety and confusion to life really well. I could feel the tension and disappointment that Annabelle felt within the first meeting of her parents and Bailey, and I wanted to yell in frustration and sadness.

Beyond Annabelle's parents and the past they eventually unpack with her, I also appreciated the way Annabelle's teacher framed perspectives in the classroom, especially when privileged students tried to center themselves rather than expanding their own worldview. I found the teacher's tactics to be quite admirable, tactful, and clever.

Annabelle's own journey of exploring her own attraction and sexuality was so tender and lovely too. She was given the space and grace to interrogate and name these feelings, which is of paramount importance. I was so proud of her and pretty much everyone in this story.

Content Warnings

kimberlynpeterson50's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective tense 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? No

4.0

What a hopeful story for genderqueer kids! This is a great book for introducing older elementary or younger middle school students to all sorts of gender and sexuality identities within a sweet story about family, friendship, and crushes.

emsprobablyreading's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Wish I’d had this to read when I was in middle school

bdincher's review

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hopeful informative reflective 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? No

5.0

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