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A review by thenextgenlibrarian
Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman
challenging
informative
4.0
Perfect for fans of Smile by Raina Telgemeier and Free Lunch by Rex Ogle.
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Max Plink is struggling in middle school. Her parents are always fighting, her sister is her biggest bully, and now she has to wear a orthodontic headgear called âthe jawbreakerâ. As if life wasnât hard enough. Max is also worried about entering a video journalism competition, even though itâs her dream, because then sheâd have to be on camera. Between that hanging over her head, money being tight at home and her best friend being distant, Max tries really hard to see the good in things, but at some point something has to give.
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This MG book hit very close to home for me, as I also struggled with a similar orthodontic issue as Max. I wore braces from 2nd grade until I was a junior in college + retainers & more to avoid having the surgery they wanted me to. Even as an adult I struggled with TMJ and ended up getting veneers to try and correct my bite. Luckily for me the bullying wasnât too much since most kids had braces at some point (just not as long as me lol). I also believe Iâm a stronger person for it, but thatâs hard telling a middle school kid about that. They just have to go through it, which sucks. @christina.wyman.books did an excellent job with characterization, as well as also showing a toxic sibling relationship, and a rough home life. Students will relate to this #novel and know they arenât alone. And it does get better.
CW: toxic relationships, physical abuse, vomit, bullying (theme), cyberbullying, divorce (theme), alcoholism, smoking, drinking, classism, financial struggles
đŹ
Max Plink is struggling in middle school. Her parents are always fighting, her sister is her biggest bully, and now she has to wear a orthodontic headgear called âthe jawbreakerâ. As if life wasnât hard enough. Max is also worried about entering a video journalism competition, even though itâs her dream, because then sheâd have to be on camera. Between that hanging over her head, money being tight at home and her best friend being distant, Max tries really hard to see the good in things, but at some point something has to give.
đŚˇ
This MG book hit very close to home for me, as I also struggled with a similar orthodontic issue as Max. I wore braces from 2nd grade until I was a junior in college + retainers & more to avoid having the surgery they wanted me to. Even as an adult I struggled with TMJ and ended up getting veneers to try and correct my bite. Luckily for me the bullying wasnât too much since most kids had braces at some point (just not as long as me lol). I also believe Iâm a stronger person for it, but thatâs hard telling a middle school kid about that. They just have to go through it, which sucks. @christina.wyman.books did an excellent job with characterization, as well as also showing a toxic sibling relationship, and a rough home life. Students will relate to this #novel and know they arenât alone. And it does get better.
CW: toxic relationships, physical abuse, vomit, bullying (theme), cyberbullying, divorce (theme), alcoholism, smoking, drinking, classism, financial struggles