Just Right Jillian

By Nicole D. Collier

Illustrations by Kitt Thomas

Versify, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2022. 215 p.

Jillian is learning to be herself—in a world where she would often rather be shy and not stand out. But a promise to her grandmother who had passed away means that Jillian will to try to compete in the mind bender competition at her elementary school. Jillian knows she is smart, but she doesn’t know how she can bring attention to herself by competing and answering the questions—unwanted attention makes her freeze. This is a good book to show kids that they can be themselves, even when it might seem scary. Also, the way that Jillian is a friend to others (both those who she was already friends with and those that seemed to be her enemies) shows that kindness is just as important as being smart. This is a great edition to the realistic fiction books on figuring out who you are.

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