The World Divided by Piper

by Caela Carter

Critically acclaimed author Caela Carter tackles puberty, sexism, and more in her sixth middle grade stand-alone novel, a poignant and bighearted story perfect for fans of Alyson Gerber and Rebecca Stead.

In this latest novel from acclaimed house author Caela Carter, eleven-year-old Piper Franklin is way too busy to grow up. She’s in a gifted and talented program, she has a chance to win the state-wide academic decathlon with her best friend, and she has a new baby sister that keeps her mom completely preoccupied. There isn’t enough time in the day for Piper to think about anything else!

But unlike other kids, Piper was diagnosed with early-onset puberty and has been taking shots to keep it at bay since she was six. So, when her doctor decides it’s time for her treatment to end, Piper’s eyes are opened to a completely new world. Between her older sister’s painful periods and her mom’s struggle to find balance in a world that’s not built for women, Piper is getting a very clear picture of her future…and she’s not sure she likes it.

Piper doesn’t feel like she can tell anyone about her worries, even though inside, it seems like her world has been divided into pieces. How is she supposed to balance the new experiences of puberty, studying for the decathlon, and growing up? Maybe, with a little friendship and a lot of female solidarity, Piper will be able to bring her world back together.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, LGBT, Contemporary, Disability, Juvenile

384 pages, Hardcover

First published March 19, 2024

About the author

Caela Carter grew up in Basking Ridge, NJ and Baltimore, MD. She's been writing since she learned how to pick up a pen but before the writing thing got serious she spent six years teaching English to middle and high school students in Jacksonville, FL and Chicago, IL. Her debut novel, ME, HIM, THEM AND IT was published in 2013 by Bloomsbury. When she's not writing, Caela is a teacher of some awesome teens in Brooklyn, a Notre Dame football enthusiast, and a happy explorer in New York City.

Reviews

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's another author who I respected venturing into territory unsuitable for elementary age kids, not because of the topic, but because of the way the author handled it.

Piper has had her early onset puberty halted with puberty blockers she's taken since age 6. Now she's 11 and her doctor wants to discontinue the medication so puberty can happen naturally. Piper is mortified at the prospect of starting her period, growing breasts, and anything else that has to do with becoming a woman, like having a baby and breastfeeding. She doesn't understand why she can't keep taking puberty blockers like her transgender friend Ivan.

Meanwhile, as she and her best friend, Tallulah, prepare for the Academic Decathlon competition, Piper begs her mom to allow her to stay on the medication until the competition is over, fearing that having a period during the competition will interfere with her ability to do well. As bad luck would have it, Piper and her two friends all end up having menstruation incidents that do indeed threaten to interfere with the competition because they are stuck in the bathroom too long.

There are many things that bothered me about this book, the least of which is Piper's annoyingly selfish personality. The second, also annoying, is the way Piper crosses out what she wants to say, in favor of what's nice to say, which the author seems to be suggesting isn't necessarily the right thing to do. Well, guess what? If people held their tongues more, it would do wonders for our mental health. Just turn on the news or read a comment feed and see where "saying what's on your mind" has gotten us. Of course there are things we need to talk about, but I'm thankful for my parents who advised me to keep my mouth shut if I didn't have anything nice to say. "Fake it til you make it" works for me. The author seems to question this advice.

But what really bothered me about this book is the negative view of women, perpetuated by the current culture, making girls resent all the biological things that make them different from males. There's no question puberty sucks for girls. But it's never sucked as bad as it does today. Rather than reminding girls of the incredible, scientifically complex, dare I say miracle, it is to host the creation of another life, the downside being a monthly period, we drill into them the idea that men get off easy and it isn't fair. And so feelings of resentment, selfishness, anxiety, even panic, are unnecessarily burdening prepubescent girls today.

Carter chooses a different path of blame for the puberty anxiety in girls. For most of the book Piper struggles over something she can't put into words. Systemic oppression. She doesn't want to be a woman because she doesn't want to be oppressed. All I can say is I grew up in the 70s and 80s. I never once felt held back. I never once felt there was a job off the table for me. I never once felt oppressed because I was female. Every time I found myself unprepared in a bathroom once a month, I thought, "This sucks." But I never, ever, equated the suckiness with gender oppression. Please.

I did manage to muster up two stars for Carter's valiant save where all the moms and girls rally around Piper when she has her period at the competition. The message being that as long as girls stick together and support one another, they can get through anything. It helps Piper realize that getting her period is not the end of the world. However, the 180 change in dreading her period to actually talking about it in her competition speech, was a stretch I didn't find believable. But I do appreciate the suggestion that we need to be able to talk more about periods without being embarrassed because embarrassment equals stress and that needs to stop.

Overall, it's a downer of a book, despite the colorful, attractive cover. I didn't visualize the abandoned car greenhouse as a beautiful tapestry of color at all. My overall impression is that books this deep and dark should be reserved for older kids. I know my students, and I can tell you, I have 4th, 5th, and even 6th graders who would be uncomfortable with this book. If you choose to put it in your library, I would be sure to inform the student about the full content of the book. I did this with Alyson Gerber's Taking Up Space, about an eating disorder, and my 5th grader decided she didn't want to read it. So I moved the book to my 7th/8th library where I have no worries about its appropriateness.

Know your kids and what they can handle, then proceed with caution.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Piper's life has had some turmoil recently; her mother had a baby about a year ago, her half sister Eloise has a boyfriend and a job and isn't home as much, and her endocrinologist is recommending that she stop taking the puberty blockers that she has been on since her diagnosis on early onset puberty was she was six. Piper is very intelligent, and heavily involved with an Academic Decathalon team with her friend Tallulah. Piper's mother is a professor of math, and teaches things like Advanced Theoretical Calculus, but still is ignored by doctors and called MRS. Frankin instead of Dr. or Ms., which Piper finds infuriating. Piper is determined to stay on the puberty blockers because she does not want to grow up and look like her mother, but she's having a hard time making her mother believe her reasons. Piper has been attending meetings of Healthy Happy Humans, a group for children experiencing problems with puberty, and her best friend, Ivan, is taking similar blockers because he is a trans boy. If they are safe for him, Piper reasons that she can stay on them as well. She hasn't told Tallulah these things, and Tallulah has her own challenges, since she is hyperintelligent but also struggles with ADHD, and is also Black. Since there have been few participants in Academic Decathalon who are Black, Tallulah feels a lot of stress and pressure with the competition, and she and Piper are having trouble deciding how they should divide the specialities. Despite Piper's repeated objections, her mother has her stop taking the puberty blockers. Since this occurs right around the time of the Decathalon competition, Piper is very upset. She eventually talks to people who help her put words to her feelings, and she is able to make her mother and Eloise understand that she doesn't mean to be hurtful when she says she doesn't want to look like them; this is just how she is reacting to the systemic oppression of women. Will Piper and her family be able to come to an agreement about her treatment?
Strengths: There are not very many books about children involved in able and talented programs or academic competitions, and since a lot of my friends took part in things like Quiz Bowl, this was good to see. I also can't think of any middle grade books that address early onset puberty, or any endocrine problems, with the possible exception of Sloan's Short. Since I have known several people who have had to be on growth hormones, hormonal complications seem like underrepresented medical conditions in middle grade literature.
Weaknesses: This is very contemplative and philosophical, as well as very intense. I'm not sure how many eleven year olds have the background knowledge to fully understand the idea of systemic oppression, but perhaps this book will help with that.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked Salazar's The Moon Within or
Evans's Grow Up, Tahlia Wilkins.

[Sacha · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Caela Carter does not disappoint, but this author DOES come with surprises, and this time, they're all wrapped up in one unusual and memorable character: the titular Piper.

Now as an English professor, I'm never trying to talk about math, but I like Piper enough to give it a try.

Piper's world is *divided* - as the title suggests - into a binary state of before and after puberty. Since Piper began precocious puberty at age six, she has been deeply impacted by her body, what it represents, and how unpredictable it is. For obvious reasons, this situation really changes the way Piper looks at other AFAB people, especially. Her older sister's period? Horrible, painful, and a life ruining. Her mom's recent pregnancy, postpartum physical issues, and the constant disregard of her Ph.D. by everyone she meets? Unacceptable. Forget about those girls in _Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret_ and _Punky Brewster_ who were DYING for their periods and breasts to arrive. Piper is down to take the most drastic measures to stay in a child's body forever.

Reader, you may be asking yourself - often - how the heck Piper has arrived at her dramatic worldview. What's funny is that more and more characters outright ask her this, and even though you will be in her head the whole time, you will also ask it. In some ways, it's frustrating to understand how someone so logical can be so focused on an illogical outcome, but this same detail makes Piper a powerful character because her experience is so different from many people's. When she gets language for all of this, her journey becomes more intriguing and less frustrating.

There are so many wonderful secondary characters here including but not limited to Piper's friends, Tallulah and Ivan (and Daisy), her poor mom (you'll want to give this woman a hug for many reasons), her big sister, Eloise, and several others who play smaller but still memorable roles. Piper's body and mind may have divided her world in an atypical way, but she does know how to add quite the group of supporters.

Piper is not without her sticking points, but this is another intriguing read from a proven author, and it covers a topic that may be new to many and ties it into one that is familiar to the masses. I'm looking forward to recommending this to students and interested readers alike.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is brilliantly unique. Our MC was diagnosed with precocious puberty when she was six. She has been taking hormone blockers like her trans friend. But at twelve, her mother wants her to stop, but Piper is terrified and disgusted about not only periods, but also what she calls the "?? chain." What she's trying to explain is her fear of being a woman -- she sees her mother being disrespected, she's part of an academic decathlon which has never had female winners, she sees men goggle at her big sister, etc. When a teacher/counselor finally understands, they tell Piper that she's talking about systemic sexism. Details about hormones, young intellect, blended family dynamics, and menstruation are factual and emotional. More books about periods are being published (it's about damn time - all we've had is steadfast Margaret for a period experience until recently). But it is STILL a taboo, which is outrageous since 1/2 the world's population bleeds regularly. Anyway, this is a good, important middle grade novel.

[Clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book about friendship, family, and coming of age. Piper has been taking hormones because she started going through early puberty when she was six. Now she is eleven and her doctor and her mother want Piper to stop taking the hormone shots. Piper would prefer not to. She is in seventh grade and is competing in an academic decathlon with her best friend, and doesn't want anything to interfere with the contest. Piper has also been working on creating a new branch of mathematics she calls Metaphorical math, which is math that explains humans. For example sometimes four hours can feel like one hour when you are having fun with your friends, and sometimes one hour can feel like four when you are at the dentist. Piper has come up with an equation to represent this. This is a funny, and moving story about being eleven, and getting your period, while trying to have a complicated life.

[Glenna Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Piper is not a normal kid, but her mother seems to think that she should be. Piper belongs in a gifted program at age 11 and is preparing to enter the Academic Decathlon with her best friend, Tallulah. However, distractions come one after the other. Piper began puberty blockers at age 6 when she was diagnosed with Precocious Puberty. She isn't ready to enter puberty right now, but her mother thinks she should. Her little sister Gladys is always screaming, and Piper is afraid of the wordless chain of systemic oppression that she sees weighing down women. Piper is determined not to grow up. But is that possible? I really enjoyed reading about Piper's journey and her thought processes, especially her creation of Metaphorical Math. I also enjoyed supporting characters Tallulah, Daisy, and Ivan and the challenge to think outside of the norm about growing up.

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good representation of hormone therapy in kids and how it affects them. There are trans characters and there is explanation of how that works for them.
Piper doesn't want to go through puberty, so she has hormone shots to delay it. She would rather worry about math and the decathlon than going through puberty and having crushes. There is push back between her and her mom and stepdad.
I liked her friend Tallulah and how they played off each other and had this whole garden area that they hung out in.
A good book filled with hormones, puberty, school, smarts, friendships and family.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

[Anna Moberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly enjoyed this book. Parts of the book moved a bit too slow for me, and I wished that the medical profession was shown in a better light. I know not everything is perfect in the medical profession, but being an advocate for yourself is huge to learn and also deciding if going to a different doctor would be better.

I just wish the conversation on ending of the treatment for Piper was not so hard to have and that someone would have had the conversation with her earlier in the book and had been able to answer Piper's questions, because it took so long in this book. Also, Piper not being able to talk about her medical condition with her best friend did not ring true to me.

[Taylor Galvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This middle grade novel was absolutely amazing. I was sucked in from the very beginning and could not stop turning pages. It takes a topic that is likely less known to readers (precocious puberty) but makes it so relatable. There is a diverse cast of characters who are flawed and lovable. It strikes the perfect balance of not being too preachy/obvious with its messages, but also not so sophisticated that the intended audience would miss the important points. This is an excellent novel both for adults who love middle grade and (I believe) for middle grade students themselves.

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Actual rating: 3.5 stars)
This book provides excellent representation for something that's getting increasingly misunderstood and marginalized, hormone therapy (gender affirming care), in this case, for precocious puberty aka puberty that starts too early. A lot of the story explored this topic and a couple others as well. However, the way that the author "revealed" the answer to the main character's primary struggle felt odd and without the impact I think the author wanted. This is a decent book but it didn't quite tie everything together.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Piper has precocious puberty and has shots which her mom now wants her to stop having. Piper doesn’t want to stop having the shots because she doesn’t want to go through puberty, and she doesn’t want to look like a woman. Piper has this on her mind while she and her best friend Tallulah are studying for the Academic Decathlon. No two-girls team has ever won the decathlon. Can the girls win it? Can Piper talk her mom into letting her keep getting the shots?

[Jennifer Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up and starting puberty is complicated. And this book takes all the emotional impact of those complications and turns them into a math equation. A wonderful math equation whose sum, no matter how you parse it out, is a positive one. I'm totally buying this book for my daughter, even if she does roll her eyes at me and hide any books I buy her involving puberty. Maybe she won't read it now. But someday she might. And I know it will help.

[Kate Puleo Unger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, and it made me cry. Piper doesn’t want to grow up, but she cannot explain it to anyone. She knows the reason but can’t articulate it. The themes in this book are so applicable to all girls. It was so honest and true. The characters were great. The academic decathlon thread was suspenseful. I really, really enjoyed it. Another amazing middle grade book by Caela Carter.

[Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book for a mother/daughter discussion group. The author is incredibly thoughtful and creative, and issues around puberty and feminism are creatively discussed. Love of learning is huge. I loved it.

[TJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are way too many things happening in this book, and many of them are not within the realm of experience for the average 11 year old reader. There is no need to tackle alllll of the current hot topics in one book!

[Dramapuppy · Rating 3 out of 5]

All three of them got unexpected periods within an hour of the big competition that only happens like, four times total? Really? It was exciting the first time, but by the third time I was sitting there wondering they don't all wear panty liners to this if it's going to be such a huge problem.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Caela Carter, but I think this book tried to address too many things at once and failed to have the emotional impact it could have by being more focused.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

*maybe the world will keep getting better*

#puberty #systematicoppression #decathlon #metaphoricalmath

[Shauna Yusko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the author. But this isn’t my favorite. Main character.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The World Divided by Piper: DNF. I was finding Piper to be a pretty annoying narrator.

[S.A.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really well-written and addressed some important issues in an appropriate way.

[Lesli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This doesn’t feel like it is good for elementary age students. But the speech at the end-amazing!

[Tory · Rating 4 out of 5]

very very good points throughout but imo took FOREVER to work up to "systemic discrimination" when that was the point the whole time

[Brett Quimby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Book

This is a amazing book 📖, I recommend it to girls starting puberty . It is a great book 📚 And I felt as if I was in the story! 📖😍😍😍

[Flyingzebras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very real book about puberty. For very specific audiences.

[Quinn Potter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just not great in my opinion the main character was really annoying and the plot just wasn't intriguing. This author has some good books but not this one.

[Sails and Scales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Piper is convinced that growing up is going to ruin her life. She's working hard to try to win the academic decathalon with her best friend, and her baby sister is keeping her mom's attention off her. She's been taking medicine since she was six years old to keep puberty away because she has early-onset puberty. When her doctor and her mom decide its time for Piper to end her treatment, Piper isn't as convinced.

First, I'll say that this book isn't a book for every kid. For some kids, the concepts of early onset puberty and puberty blockers, sexism, periods, and growing up might be too much. The book can feel heavy at times while Piper is trying to identify and come to terms with growing up and recognizing parts of the world that are difficult or unfair. However, if the reader is already grappling with those issues or has the maturity to think about them, then this book could be for them. Maybe. If the reader is already struggling with the negatives of being of growing up as a girl and how female bodies and expectations come into play, then maybe the book would be too much? A lot of readers should proceed with caution, and parents, teachers, and librarians may want to read it first. I probably wouldn't recommend this book for kids the same age as as Piper, but kids a little older might be a better audience.

As an adult, I loved it. My personal impression was a wholehearted five stars, even though the audience part is tricky. I don't think I would have been the right audience for it as a kid, but as a grown-up? This book touched aches from growing up in a special way. Things like not feeling completely seen by parents or struggling with something you can't name but you're starting to notice things that don't completely make sense were very real to me when I was growing up. The book spoke to that kid in me who had lots of questions, and I appreciated that.

Piper is an interesting character because she's generally selfish and shortsighted. She only cares about the things in her life and the things important to her, and she doesn't always react well to people pointing out that she might be wrong. She's extremely dramatic. It works in many ways because she's so intelligent that she might be less likely to listen to other people's perspectives at first, but she does change her mind on many things as she goes along her journey of accepting that she needs to grow up. Through it all, she feels very real, and the diverse cast of characters compliments Piper and her eccentricities.

I like how it grappled with big issues like the best friend feeling like she has to represent her entire race as one of the few entrants ever in the decathalon. I like how Piper started to see young boys sexualize women without her or the boys fully understanding what was going on but not feeling good about it. It's as complex and rich as growing up.

This may be the most scattered review I've ever written, and it's for good reason. I loved it, but it's also one of the deepest, most philosophical middle-grade books I've read. I loved it. But I can't say it belongs on every bookshelf. For me, it was five stars. For the audience it's meant for? I don't know.

[amanda frekot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. It covered many uncommon topics like academic competitions, endocrinology, neurodivergent friends, and the stress of being a gifted person. However, I think Piper's character will be unrelatable for most 11 year olds. Also, why do all of these tiny kids have phones? And who ever heard of 11-year-olds in 7th grade?

3.5 stars.