A review by elissacsweet
Keep It Together, Keiko Carter, by Debbi Michiko Florence
5.0
KEEP IT TOGETHER, KEIKO CARTER is the kind of book I want every preteen girl to read, because it feels so true to the experience of being a middle-school girl and navigating the tough social waters of female friendship, cliques and crushes. It's packed with pop culture references, friend drama, cute boys, and adorable dogs, and as young readers race through the story, they might not even notice that they're also learning great lessons about hard choices, growing up and growing apart, staying true to yourself, casual racism, and speaking up even when it means disrupting the peace.
The title character is seventh-grader Keiko Carter, who just wants to have a great year with her two best friends. Keiko is smart, funny, honest and obsessed with chocolate, and in her life she is often the caregiver and the peacemaker—the one who sometimes lets people step on her just to smooth things over. When her two best friends begin fighting and her home life feels like it's unraveling a bit, she finds that the middle ground just won't cut it anymore.
Eventually, Keiko realizes that maybe it's more important to be honest with yourself and others, and even lose a friend or two, than to worry about making everyone happy. It's a lesson I wish I had learned earlier, and I'm so excited for girls Keiko's age to pick up this book.
The title character is seventh-grader Keiko Carter, who just wants to have a great year with her two best friends. Keiko is smart, funny, honest and obsessed with chocolate, and in her life she is often the caregiver and the peacemaker—the one who sometimes lets people step on her just to smooth things over. When her two best friends begin fighting and her home life feels like it's unraveling a bit, she finds that the middle ground just won't cut it anymore.
Eventually, Keiko realizes that maybe it's more important to be honest with yourself and others, and even lose a friend or two, than to worry about making everyone happy. It's a lesson I wish I had learned earlier, and I'm so excited for girls Keiko's age to pick up this book.