yapha's review
4.0
Fifth grader Jillian is so painfully shy that it feels like she is choking on her own words sometimes. Who she is inside her head and who she presents to others are very different. How can she possibly compete in the Mind Bender competition at school if she can't even tell her mother which color glasses frames she prefers? With the help of a few good friends and her supportive family and teachers, Jillian is able to crack out of her shell, just like the chicks hatching from the eggs in their classroom. Many students will relate to Jillian's fear of speaking up and standing out. Hopefully this will encourage them to believe that they too can "pip and unzip." Highly recommended for grades 3 & up.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
mariahistryingtoread's review
3.0
The main problem with Just Right Jillian is that it peaks thematically at the 40% mark.
The Mindbender academic competition has three rounds spread across a few weeks meaning that once Jillian speaks up in the first round she's already fulfilled the central thesis of the book. After that while a few events do occur I no longer was invested because winning the Mindbender didn't particularly matter; the whole point was simply for Jillian to speak up, not to win.
It would have been better if the Mindbender was a single day tournament Jillian was building towards at the end or if she was somehow secretly participating and the conflict was about her revealing herself as the contestant.
Or better yet change some of the details around to make it more significant for Jillian to win the whole thing: maybe she's the first Black girl to do it, maybe her late grandmother won when she was Jillian's age, or her mother's bad lupus spell in the last quarter could have been moved up to the first instead so Jillian is desperate to make her proud. Literally anything that would have kept the stakes high.
Rashida turning out to actually be nice is a decent lesson about passing judgment without all the facts, but Jillian desperately needed a proper rival to bounce off of or stand up to. William is decent for awhile except the author bizarrely chooses to have him make a heel face turn to be supportive of Jillian at 90% with literally no indication of why he does this.
I hate the whole 'you never know what another person is going through so choose kindness' rhetoric pushed on kids who are being bullied so I was particularly displeased that Jillian abruptly forgave him. Especially when we never found out what his problem was and he never apologized.
Jillian's friend Marquez is having some issues with his father not allowing his mother to properly move on after their divorce which I feel needed more fleshing out. I feel it was way too serious a topic to be operating so totally in the background given the nature of what his father was doing ie. (to me) it sounds a lot like emotional abuse.
After the 40% mark the story is still solid, but it loses a lot of verve.
On the positive side, Jillian is a pitch perfect depiction of anxiety in a young Black girl. I say that, as a young Black woman who still struggles to this day with speaking my mind for similar reasons as Jillian’s. In that regard the book is fantastic. I love the honest look at how debilitating anxiety can be. People always say 'just speak up' but they don't really understand how impossible that really is - the mental roadblock feels physically incapacitating.
And I really appreciated how Collier makes it a point to dismantle the idea that being a good girl equals being a quiet one. Good is about actions not a state of being. As someone who has definitely internalized that kind of messaging I love that we are trying hard to push back against it in much of todays’ media. Especially since Black girls are demonized more for speaking up which reinforces white supremacist rhetoric that Black women are loud, obnoxious, etc. It’s powerful when a white woman does it, it’s a problem when a Black one does. Her father apologizing for unintentionally supporting this narrative in the past was a nice moment of reflection from an adult - and therefore authoritative - perspective.
The book is good, I just feel that with a few minor tweaks it could have been better. I think it’s missing out on fun as it mostly plays everything straight in a way that feels too after school special when all is said and done. I have an unabashed love for earnestness in my (relatively) old age, but for some kids I could definitely see them getting bored by how dramatic everything is and how little 'stuff' happens. The whole book is extremely limited in scope to its detriment. Jillian only ever travels from school back home. I would have loved seeing her on a field trip or helping Marquez get out of the house or going to Rashida’s. Taking the characters out of the school setting even briefly would have made the whole book more entertaining.
Still, I know I would have liked it as a kid so there is certainly a market for it. And I’d recommend it on the basis that the good far outweighs the bad.
*Also, this is a nitpick and has nothing to do with the author (I don't think, correct me if I'm wrong about how much influence an author has in this situation), but there's an important plot point about Jillian getting glasses yet the cover doesn't include her in glasses.*
The Mindbender academic competition has three rounds spread across a few weeks meaning that once Jillian speaks up in the first round she's already fulfilled the central thesis of the book. After that while a few events do occur I no longer was invested because winning the Mindbender didn't particularly matter; the whole point was simply for Jillian to speak up, not to win.
It would have been better if the Mindbender was a single day tournament Jillian was building towards at the end or if she was somehow secretly participating and the conflict was about her revealing herself as the contestant.
Or better yet change some of the details around to make it more significant for Jillian to win the whole thing: maybe she's the first Black girl to do it, maybe her late grandmother won when she was Jillian's age, or her mother's bad lupus spell in the last quarter could have been moved up to the first instead so Jillian is desperate to make her proud. Literally anything that would have kept the stakes high.
Rashida turning out to actually be nice is a decent lesson about passing judgment without all the facts, but Jillian desperately needed a proper rival to bounce off of or stand up to. William is decent for awhile except the author bizarrely chooses to have him make a heel face turn to be supportive of Jillian at 90% with literally no indication of why he does this.
I hate the whole 'you never know what another person is going through so choose kindness' rhetoric pushed on kids who are being bullied so I was particularly displeased that Jillian abruptly forgave him. Especially when we never found out what his problem was and he never apologized.
Jillian's friend Marquez is having some issues with his father not allowing his mother to properly move on after their divorce which I feel needed more fleshing out. I feel it was way too serious a topic to be operating so totally in the background given the nature of what his father was doing ie. (to me) it sounds a lot like emotional abuse.
After the 40% mark the story is still solid, but it loses a lot of verve.
On the positive side, Jillian is a pitch perfect depiction of anxiety in a young Black girl. I say that, as a young Black woman who still struggles to this day with speaking my mind for similar reasons as Jillian’s. In that regard the book is fantastic. I love the honest look at how debilitating anxiety can be. People always say 'just speak up' but they don't really understand how impossible that really is - the mental roadblock feels physically incapacitating.
And I really appreciated how Collier makes it a point to dismantle the idea that being a good girl equals being a quiet one. Good is about actions not a state of being. As someone who has definitely internalized that kind of messaging I love that we are trying hard to push back against it in much of todays’ media. Especially since Black girls are demonized more for speaking up which reinforces white supremacist rhetoric that Black women are loud, obnoxious, etc. It’s powerful when a white woman does it, it’s a problem when a Black one does. Her father apologizing for unintentionally supporting this narrative in the past was a nice moment of reflection from an adult - and therefore authoritative - perspective.
The book is good, I just feel that with a few minor tweaks it could have been better. I think it’s missing out on fun as it mostly plays everything straight in a way that feels too after school special when all is said and done. I have an unabashed love for earnestness in my (relatively) old age, but for some kids I could definitely see them getting bored by how dramatic everything is and how little 'stuff' happens. The whole book is extremely limited in scope to its detriment. Jillian only ever travels from school back home. I would have loved seeing her on a field trip or helping Marquez get out of the house or going to Rashida’s. Taking the characters out of the school setting even briefly would have made the whole book more entertaining.
Still, I know I would have liked it as a kid so there is certainly a market for it. And I’d recommend it on the basis that the good far outweighs the bad.
*Also, this is a nitpick and has nothing to do with the author (I don't think, correct me if I'm wrong about how much influence an author has in this situation), but there's an important plot point about Jillian getting glasses yet the cover doesn't include her in glasses.*
runningjenw's review
4.0
Just Right Jillian is a a sweet story about a young girl learning to find her voice. Jillian is a fifth grader who is so shy that she often cannot speak. Her mother has a chronic illness and her grandmother passed away recently. Jillian is struggling to find her place in the world and reclaim her identity. With supportive adults throughout and a side story about classroom chicks waiting to hatch, Just Right Jillian is compelling, relatable, and enjoyable. Readers will root for Jillian and the chicks! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy of this book.
kristinakg's review
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
amyhughes's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
jesstele's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
kmoreads's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Just Right Jillian by Nicole D. Collier is a heartwarming Middle Grade read about a smart girl who is extremely shy and is trying to figure out her place in the world. Her grandmother, whom she was really close to has recently passed away and she is still grieving her loss so much so that she doesn't do any weaving anymore. Her grandmother was always encouraging her to not necessarily be different, but to be herself.
Instead of standing out from the crowd, Jillian follows the crowd and participates in twinning day where her classmates all wear the same outfits and hairstyles. She tries to fit in and not stand out.
Jillian decides to compete in the "Mind Bender" competition that is held at school. She never believes she has a chance to win although she knows she is smart enough to win it.
Throughout the book, Jillian slowly starts to become her own person. It is wonderful to watch her growth and definitely something every middle grade kid can relate to.
Thank you to Clarion Books for the #gifted copy of the book.
Instead of standing out from the crowd, Jillian follows the crowd and participates in twinning day where her classmates all wear the same outfits and hairstyles. She tries to fit in and not stand out.
Jillian decides to compete in the "Mind Bender" competition that is held at school. She never believes she has a chance to win although she knows she is smart enough to win it.
Throughout the book, Jillian slowly starts to become her own person. It is wonderful to watch her growth and definitely something every middle grade kid can relate to.
Thank you to Clarion Books for the #gifted copy of the book.
akvegida's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
4.0
cohemiwrites's review
5.0
This book!!! This is the kind of delightful MG story that makes me want to laugh and cry and cheer all at once. I loved (LOVED!) the growth of Jillian's relationship with Rashida (her foe, her nemesis), as well as all the ways the cast of characters learned to understand each other. Just Right Jillian is a compassionate and genuine portrayal of fifth grade nerves, chicken-hatching, and a shy girl learning to love her true self.