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Just Ask Elsie
Not yet published
Expected 16 Jun 26Elsie Parker is having a totally normal fifth grade year.
Fractions and conjunctions—check.
Stressing about middle school—check.
Body-positive puberty class at church that also covers feelings and identities—check.
Okay, maybe that last one isn’t so normal. It’s a little weird (and awkward) to spend her Sundays talking periods, B.O., and pimples. But Elsie’s also learning a lot more than she’s heard in her public-school health class — like the difference between sex and gender, and what consent is, and what it might mean that she can’t stop blushing around a certain cute girl at her school.
When her puberty lessons become the school’s latest gossip, Elsie’s totally humiliated… until she finds an anonymous note in her locker from a classmate who wants to know more, and realizes that other kids might have embarrassing questions of their own.
Starting an underground advice board wasn’t exactly in her plans, but Elsie won’t pass up a chance to turn her reputation around — or to share words and labels that have not-so-accidentally been left off their curriculum. But when the principal tries to shut down the unauthorized puberty talk, Elsie has to decide what she’s willing to risk to tell the truth to kids who really need to hear it.
Fractions and conjunctions—check.
Stressing about middle school—check.
Body-positive puberty class at church that also covers feelings and identities—check.
Okay, maybe that last one isn’t so normal. It’s a little weird (and awkward) to spend her Sundays talking periods, B.O., and pimples. But Elsie’s also learning a lot more than she’s heard in her public-school health class — like the difference between sex and gender, and what consent is, and what it might mean that she can’t stop blushing around a certain cute girl at her school.
When her puberty lessons become the school’s latest gossip, Elsie’s totally humiliated… until she finds an anonymous note in her locker from a classmate who wants to know more, and realizes that other kids might have embarrassing questions of their own.
Starting an underground advice board wasn’t exactly in her plans, but Elsie won’t pass up a chance to turn her reputation around — or to share words and labels that have not-so-accidentally been left off their curriculum. But when the principal tries to shut down the unauthorized puberty talk, Elsie has to decide what she’s willing to risk to tell the truth to kids who really need to hear it.
272 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 16, 2026
1 person is currently reading
108 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 2, 2025
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan for this ARC– this is my very first ARC ever and I'm so glad it's so special to me.
When this book comes out, I'm going to buy like at least three copies and leave them in the Little Libraries around town. Slightly more expensive than printing zines? Perhaps!! BUT IT'S A GOOD BOOK
First and foremost? A freaking gem of a book as far as being an entry point for discussing queer topics /and/ youth rights. Accurate information in accessible language? Amazing. I can be a little nitpicky about definitions of nonbinary as "in between" but frankly I feel like describing such a nebulous concept is a multi-step process anyway and I'm too busy being dazzled by the idea of church leaders knowing and speaking positively about the term at all to care too hard. AND they mention INTERSEX people and how SEX isn't even a binary so they get ONE MILLION POINTS anyway!!! (If I didn't know that the author was speaking from their own experiences with Unitarian Universalist churches, I would say the idea of a youth group but for (accurate, safe, nonjudgemental) sex and puberty ed is a fantastic imagining of the kind of supports I *wish* all kids had an inarguable right to, as human beings. The idea that some kids in real life have this sort of thing? And they don't just have to sneak onto the family computer and figure things out from what the feminist tumblr blogs were posting??? What???)
And yes, okay, you'd better believe I was feeling weird and personal about this whole thing. I think it's a good read for kids, and I also think it's got value for any adults who still feel their heart rate pick up when they try to talk about any queer stuff out loud. That's a problem other people have, right? Not just me? Elsie's dad, I think, was got to me most? We're slowly moving away from no-nuance "representation is king!" attitude, as a subculture, and overall I think that allows for more room to engage with diverse characters as *whole characters* and not just checkboxes for those traits that make them diverse– not a problem with this book, don't get me wrong, just something I've noticed elsewhere– but listen. I got so excited when it was revealed that Elsie's dad was a transgender man. A little bit teary.
But MOST IMPORTANTLY it's also just a solid kids book. It's got all the ingredients– Elsie is on the CUSP of fifth grade graduation, she has a best friend and a CRUSH, the adults in her life love her but don't quite get her, and her principal is out to GET her. It's a perfect sticking-it-to-the-man plot– Elsie puts herself out there for something she believes in, she gets shot down /hard,/ but her fellow students rally around her because now *they* believe what she believes in, too. I can't get too close to the spoiler zone, but this book sets a great balance between giving the children characters the driving force of the plot, and the vast majority of the agency, and providing the safe adult characters (including a nontraditional semi-guardian character respecting Elsie's decisions and showing that it kids should have a right to confide in adults other than their parents!!! parental rights do not trump all!!!! important!!!) roles where they can use their power to give the kids space for their own agency. It's also great about not only showing ways that the adults in a kid's life can and do make poor, harmful choices in the name of protection and safety, but also showing those adults either explicitly apologizing to Elsie or changing the way they go about supporting Elsie in order to better align with their values. That's a really balanced, mature approach, and one that I think is helpful for both sides of the audience.
This kind of book runs the risk of being overly sanitized, too clean and polished to click with anyone living in the real world– I don't think this book is. It's rosy, but it's a grounded kind of rosy. Elsie is a funny kid and a little liar and I love her dearly. She gets in trouble all the time for talking with her bestie in class and she's nervous about talking about her crush on a cool girl and she goes to her sperm-donor semi-guardian to help her copy informational zines because she doesn't know how to work a printer. Because she is eleven. She plays roblox and I love her.
(If I had to be picky? I think some of the pop culture references muddy the intended time period. Roblox as previously mentioned, is still timely enough that it works. But no fifth grader in the last ten years has had a poster of Edward Cullen on their locker, I pinky promise. Vintage Neopets? I'm not saying ten year olds can't have esoteric hobbies, but neopets ain't it. Elsie makes a Shrek 2 reference and I know she's an old soul raised by two (three?) nerdy millenials but it's too much. It's too much. Maybe I'm just not hanging out with enough kids who are into 2000-2010 era hobbies but those few things were distractingly out of time for me. If that's a thing that can be tweaked before publishing, I think it'll do wonders.)
It's a fine line, writing stories for kids, of not projecting too much of what the adult thinks childhood is like, or what the adult idealizes childhood to have been, onto what they make for children to read and internalize about themselves and their lives. I don't know if it's something any adult, self included, can do perfectly, or even reflect on accurately. But, through my own warped lens of adulthood, I think this book does a pretty good job.
When this book comes out, I'm going to buy like at least three copies and leave them in the Little Libraries around town. Slightly more expensive than printing zines? Perhaps!! BUT IT'S A GOOD BOOK
First and foremost? A freaking gem of a book as far as being an entry point for discussing queer topics /and/ youth rights. Accurate information in accessible language? Amazing. I can be a little nitpicky about definitions of nonbinary as "in between" but frankly I feel like describing such a nebulous concept is a multi-step process anyway and I'm too busy being dazzled by the idea of church leaders knowing and speaking positively about the term at all to care too hard. AND they mention INTERSEX people and how SEX isn't even a binary so they get ONE MILLION POINTS anyway!!! (If I didn't know that the author was speaking from their own experiences with Unitarian Universalist churches, I would say the idea of a youth group but for (accurate, safe, nonjudgemental) sex and puberty ed is a fantastic imagining of the kind of supports I *wish* all kids had an inarguable right to, as human beings. The idea that some kids in real life have this sort of thing? And they don't just have to sneak onto the family computer and figure things out from what the feminist tumblr blogs were posting??? What???)
And yes, okay, you'd better believe I was feeling weird and personal about this whole thing. I think it's a good read for kids, and I also think it's got value for any adults who still feel their heart rate pick up when they try to talk about any queer stuff out loud. That's a problem other people have, right? Not just me? Elsie's dad, I think, was got to me most? We're slowly moving away from no-nuance "representation is king!" attitude, as a subculture, and overall I think that allows for more room to engage with diverse characters as *whole characters* and not just checkboxes for those traits that make them diverse– not a problem with this book, don't get me wrong, just something I've noticed elsewhere– but listen. I got so excited when it was revealed that Elsie's dad was a transgender man. A little bit teary.
But MOST IMPORTANTLY it's also just a solid kids book. It's got all the ingredients– Elsie is on the CUSP of fifth grade graduation, she has a best friend and a CRUSH, the adults in her life love her but don't quite get her, and her principal is out to GET her. It's a perfect sticking-it-to-the-man plot– Elsie puts herself out there for something she believes in, she gets shot down /hard,/ but her fellow students rally around her because now *they* believe what she believes in, too. I can't get too close to the spoiler zone, but this book sets a great balance between giving the children characters the driving force of the plot, and the vast majority of the agency, and providing the safe adult characters (including a nontraditional semi-guardian character respecting Elsie's decisions and showing that it kids should have a right to confide in adults other than their parents!!! parental rights do not trump all!!!! important!!!) roles where they can use their power to give the kids space for their own agency. It's also great about not only showing ways that the adults in a kid's life can and do make poor, harmful choices in the name of protection and safety, but also showing those adults either explicitly apologizing to Elsie or changing the way they go about supporting Elsie in order to better align with their values. That's a really balanced, mature approach, and one that I think is helpful for both sides of the audience.
This kind of book runs the risk of being overly sanitized, too clean and polished to click with anyone living in the real world– I don't think this book is. It's rosy, but it's a grounded kind of rosy. Elsie is a funny kid and a little liar and I love her dearly. She gets in trouble all the time for talking with her bestie in class and she's nervous about talking about her crush on a cool girl and she goes to her sperm-donor semi-guardian to help her copy informational zines because she doesn't know how to work a printer. Because she is eleven. She plays roblox and I love her.
(If I had to be picky? I think some of the pop culture references muddy the intended time period. Roblox as previously mentioned, is still timely enough that it works. But no fifth grader in the last ten years has had a poster of Edward Cullen on their locker, I pinky promise. Vintage Neopets? I'm not saying ten year olds can't have esoteric hobbies, but neopets ain't it. Elsie makes a Shrek 2 reference and I know she's an old soul raised by two (three?) nerdy millenials but it's too much. It's too much. Maybe I'm just not hanging out with enough kids who are into 2000-2010 era hobbies but those few things were distractingly out of time for me. If that's a thing that can be tweaked before publishing, I think it'll do wonders.)
It's a fine line, writing stories for kids, of not projecting too much of what the adult thinks childhood is like, or what the adult idealizes childhood to have been, onto what they make for children to read and internalize about themselves and their lives. I don't know if it's something any adult, self included, can do perfectly, or even reflect on accurately. But, through my own warped lens of adulthood, I think this book does a pretty good job.
May 12, 2025
I absolutely adored this book and read it in two sittings. It’s heartwarming, sweet, warm, and deeply authentic—one of those stories that grabs hold of your heart and doesn’t let go. I loved every single one of the kids, but Elsie especially. I am ready to lay my life on the line for that girl. Her journey moved me so much, and I was bursting with happiness for her at the incredibly satisfying, beautiful ending.
The story explores its themes with such honesty and care—touching on puberty, identity, friendship, and family in ways that feel both gentle and true. Every relationship felt layered and real, and every page written with thoughtfulness and heart.
I’m so excited for young readers to discover this story. I know it’s going to be incredibly important for so many kids—the kind of book they’ll carry with them, the kind that makes them feel seen. What a gift.
The story explores its themes with such honesty and care—touching on puberty, identity, friendship, and family in ways that feel both gentle and true. Every relationship felt layered and real, and every page written with thoughtfulness and heart.
I’m so excited for young readers to discover this story. I know it’s going to be incredibly important for so many kids—the kind of book they’ll carry with them, the kind that makes them feel seen. What a gift.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is the first book I’ve requested to read through NetGalley, and I was very excited to have the chance to read it since middle-grade with pride flag is one of my favorite genres.
The book opens with eleven-year-old Elsie attending Our Whole Lives, or OWL, which is a class at her church for kids to learn about family and development and discuss it to a greater extent than in school, supposedly. At school, Elsie becomes concerned that her classmates won’t have as much education about Their Whole Lives since they aren’t in her class, so she decides to teach them herself.
The first chapter gives an in-depth description of male and female bodies that I believe is meant to normalize the vocabulary, but then there aren’t many more teaching moments for the remainder of the story. The author doesn’t do much to ease the (probably young) readers into this discussion, and at Elsie’s age, I probably wouldn’t have been willing to continue reading.
The main issue I had with this book was how Elsie didn’t have a real, relatable motivation for her plan. Elsie repeatedly says that the one hour of information the school will provide is not comparable to OWL, just from what she heard from her friend’s older brother. She seems so passionate about teaching kids about their bodies developing, yet she’s not shown to want to talk about it with adults (her parents or the OWL teachers), she's not shown to be continuously bullied for the class so that she needs to take action, and, what I thought would be the most important in this book, Elsie is not shown to be experiencing her own body changing personally.
There’s very little serious discussion, and Elsie kept doing things that she knew could ruin her school record without talking about it first with adults. This book didn’t feel either educational or empowering like I had imagined it would be. The way that I read it, as an adult now who did comparable dumb projects as a fifth-grader, Elsie just seemed to want attention. I feel like it would have been different if the book started with the in-school video as a starting point to build a discussion rather than Elsie constructing everything herself when it had not initially been a problem.
As the book is, I sort of wish it had just stuck to Elsie addressing LGBTQIA+ identities rather than focusing on puberty as well. The side plot is Elsie navigating her crush on a girl in her class and coming out, plus hearing stories about her dad’s experience being transgender when his elementary school didn’t support him. She doesn’t have any personal motivation for wanting to normalize teenage bodies because she isn’t dealing with those changes yet herself. The comments that she wrote on the board sounded like something an adult would write, like Elsie copied down definitions from the internet, and not something a kid reading this would relate to or learn from. If the point of the book is to normalize these topics for kids, it needed to display both kid and adult perspectives. I feel like both were done weakly.
The overall message of this book was important: changing educational systems doesn’t happen all at once, and people need to stand up when issues are being ignored in order to fix them. There were some great lines about why information needs to be accessible to everyone, and I’m disappointed I didn’t enjoy Just Ask Elsie since I see that a lot of other people did.
The book opens with eleven-year-old Elsie attending Our Whole Lives, or OWL, which is a class at her church for kids to learn about family and development and discuss it to a greater extent than in school, supposedly. At school, Elsie becomes concerned that her classmates won’t have as much education about Their Whole Lives since they aren’t in her class, so she decides to teach them herself.
The first chapter gives an in-depth description of male and female bodies that I believe is meant to normalize the vocabulary, but then there aren’t many more teaching moments for the remainder of the story. The author doesn’t do much to ease the (probably young) readers into this discussion, and at Elsie’s age, I probably wouldn’t have been willing to continue reading.
The main issue I had with this book was how Elsie didn’t have a real, relatable motivation for her plan. Elsie repeatedly says that the one hour of information the school will provide is not comparable to OWL, just from what she heard from her friend’s older brother. She seems so passionate about teaching kids about their bodies developing, yet she’s not shown to want to talk about it with adults (her parents or the OWL teachers), she's not shown to be continuously bullied for the class so that she needs to take action, and, what I thought would be the most important in this book, Elsie is not shown to be experiencing her own body changing personally.
There’s very little serious discussion, and Elsie kept doing things that she knew could ruin her school record without talking about it first with adults. This book didn’t feel either educational or empowering like I had imagined it would be. The way that I read it, as an adult now who did comparable dumb projects as a fifth-grader, Elsie just seemed to want attention. I feel like it would have been different if the book started with the in-school video as a starting point to build a discussion rather than Elsie constructing everything herself when it had not initially been a problem.
As the book is, I sort of wish it had just stuck to Elsie addressing LGBTQIA+ identities rather than focusing on puberty as well. The side plot is Elsie navigating her crush on a girl in her class and coming out, plus hearing stories about her dad’s experience being transgender when his elementary school didn’t support him. She doesn’t have any personal motivation for wanting to normalize teenage bodies because she isn’t dealing with those changes yet herself. The comments that she wrote on the board sounded like something an adult would write, like Elsie copied down definitions from the internet, and not something a kid reading this would relate to or learn from. If the point of the book is to normalize these topics for kids, it needed to display both kid and adult perspectives. I feel like both were done weakly.
The overall message of this book was important: changing educational systems doesn’t happen all at once, and people need to stand up when issues are being ignored in order to fix them. There were some great lines about why information needs to be accessible to everyone, and I’m disappointed I didn’t enjoy Just Ask Elsie since I see that a lot of other people did.
October 15, 2025
This book was so hopeful and inspiring. I loved how driven the main character was and how she had great support in her life from both family and friends. She stood up for something important to her and it was amazing.
(Note: I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity.)
Read For
✓ Middle Grade
✓ Character Growth
✓ Queer Characters
✓ Good Friendships
✓ Supportive Family
𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊
Sad Level: 💧
Plot: 8/10
Pace: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 9/10
Enjoyability: 9/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Character: Elsie
Favorite Quote: ❝ “I think you did great, Els,” he said. “That was amazing to watch. I’m honored to have been a coconspirator in this rebel plot, even if we didn’t fully blow up the Death Star.” ❞
POV: First Person
Pages: 272
Format: Ebook
Language: English
Release Date: 16, June 2026
Rep/Extras: Trans Man (side character), Queer Diversity
June 26, 2025
I got to read an early copy of this and omg I was smiling and laughing the WHOLE time. As a middle school teacher, Elsie felt like a truly pitch perfect 5th grader!!! Just so open to the world and the concrete thinking shifting into deeper introspection/emotions and the PERFECT relationship with her parents (who are amazing btw) and her friendships and CRUSH 😭😭😭 I loved all the puberty stuff too. It’s done in such a queer-inclusive way! Fans of The World Divided by Piper would love this. It’s going to be life changing for readers who have questions they’re scared to ask and need to hear that feeling different or nervous is a beautiful part of growing up. I wish I could give this to my younger self and am so happy for the current kids who will get to read this!
November 6, 2025
This was a quick, easy, and enjoyable read. What drew my interest was when the description mentioned she was learning more in her Sunday class than in school and realizing that kids in her school might be interested to learn more about the changes in their bodies. Admittedly, I had never heard of a Unitarian Universalist church before and thought it, and the class Elsie is in, was fake. A quick Google search proved otherwise.
I admire Elsie for standing up for what she believes. So often we try to blend in and not cause a scene. To see her character grow- from recognizing feelings, working on new and old relationships, finding her voice, and considering her future at her dream school- was wonderful.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
I admire Elsie for standing up for what she believes. So often we try to blend in and not cause a scene. To see her character grow- from recognizing feelings, working on new and old relationships, finding her voice, and considering her future at her dream school- was wonderful.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
*4.25 Stars*
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was really good. It spoke of subjects that were important and I liked how it was brought on. i also really liked Elsie, she was really brave and layered. She kept being treated unfairly but she kept rising and that was great, I think. I just really like this story, it was hopeful and gripping and quite a fast read. I also liked the side characters and the family dynamics were different and interesting. I just thought this was a good middle grade. There was so many layers to this book and I really enjoyed being there next to our main character. I'll definitely be reading more books by this author.
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was really good. It spoke of subjects that were important and I liked how it was brought on. i also really liked Elsie, she was really brave and layered. She kept being treated unfairly but she kept rising and that was great, I think. I just really like this story, it was hopeful and gripping and quite a fast read. I also liked the side characters and the family dynamics were different and interesting. I just thought this was a good middle grade. There was so many layers to this book and I really enjoyed being there next to our main character. I'll definitely be reading more books by this author.
December 16, 2025
What a great book about perseverance, bravery, and friends. Elsie and her class at school and Sunday services are learning about puberty, and they have questions. Elsie puts a paper box outside her locker after someone leaves a note in her locker asking a puberty question. She is told she can’t do that. Then she and Nadia, who Elise like likes, helps her design a zine, and they put it in lockers. Elsie gets in trouble. Nadia says there must be more we can do. They realize there’s an assembly on Friday. What do they end up doing?
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
this one was so sweet, i sat down and read it in one seating as a break from finals! it's hard to find a book about kids learning advocacy and activism that doesn't read like a sermon, and i really loved this one. it's got a heartfelt core that makes me think the author has been around kids -- i was definitely getting into things like this when i was elsie's age. i also loved the dynamic between their unconventional family. and shoutout UU OWL program!!! i worked at one of those for about a year and they're doing great stuff for those kids. was super cool to see representation of that experience in this book. :)
Review of advance copy received from Author
Make way for Elsie! What a powerful book this is. I put it down and was inspired to become an activist like Elsie. She is so relatable and I think young readers will connect with her. I just want to hang out with her and her family! Her mom, dad, and Nate were fantastic characters that all felt fully fleshed out. Nadia was an intriguing love interest and has just the type of personality that flows well with Elsie's. Mara is the best friend I'd want on my team. This book is educational without being a textbook; I learned as I enjoyed the story, and I'm so excited for young readers to hopefully do the same.
November 17, 2025
This book was full of fantastic representations. Definitely a great book to read along with your middle grade kid or at least buddy read. There are lots of great subjects brought up that could have questions and would be wonderful conversations to have with the middle school kid. It’s so relatable to what they would be going through. I loved how the kids all came together to stand up with Elsie for a better education. This was such a fun book. Highly recommended!!
May 19, 2025
I got the unbelievable chance to read an early copy of this book and can attest it is a 14/10 heartwarming take on exploring gender and sexuality through a middle grade lens. I WISH I had this book when I was younger because I think it would have helped me to feel so seen. Koontz is a stellar writer and this debut is going to knock people's socks off.
June 13, 2025
ARC read - loved it! Review to follow
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews