Mean

by Justin Sayre

In Justin Sayre's third adjective-busting novel, Ellen discovers why it matters to be true to oneself, no matter what people might say or think about her.

Set in the same world as Justin Sayre's previous books, Husky and Pretty , Mean explores the private and public life of Ellen, who is confident, cool, and, according to Davis, mean. But if speaking the truth and being unconcerned with petty gossip makes you mean, Ellen is fine with that. Besides, she has her own issues to deal with as middle school becomes a virtual battlefield of pubescent zombies, not unlike the obstacles in the video games she loves to play. Escaping into the world of online video games provides only temporary relief. In time she learns that being honest, even when it hurts, is the only weapon she can truly rely on.

Genres: Realistic Fiction

Audio CD

Published September 3, 2019

Reviews

[Sarai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was all right. For some reason, though, I got stuck on the fact that the author is male and describing the internal dialogue and feelings of a girl coming of age. I know I've read tons of other books where a man writes a female character (or a woman writes a male character) but for some reason with this title, it just kept popping into my head. I don't know why.

Not being Jewish, I found all the information about a girl having a bat mitzvah extremely interesting. The characters were well-written. It felt like real life with all its dramas and problems and how they can all pile up at once. I did think that the main character, Ellen, was a very mature, well-balanced, too wise for a thirteen year old, though. She seemed to have all her stuff together in a way I definitely do not remember being when I was that age. She spoke and took care of herself more like a man in this culture, where women are socialized to use more hesitant-sounding phrases like, "I think it could be..." and "Maybe it's just..." instead of speaking the fact that they know the information.

I did like the book enough to want to read his other two, Husky and Pretty, which focus on other characters presented in Mean. Oh, also - I did not find Ellen to be mean. Maybe that's the difference between a book dedicated to her and how she appeared in the other stories.

Book description:
Set in the same world as Justin Sayre's previous books, Husky and Pretty, Mean explores the private and public life of Ellen, who is confident, cool, and, according to Davis, mean. But if speaking the truth and being unconcerned with petty gossip makes you mean, Ellen is fine with that. Besides, she has her own issues to deal with as middle school becomes a virtual battlefield of pubescent zombies, not unlike the obstacles in the video games she loves to play. Escaping into the world of online video games provides only temporary relief. In time she learns that being honest, even when it hurts, is the only weapon she can truly rely on.

[LitPick Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellen is a brave 13-year-old girl living in Brooklyn, New York. As the date for her Bat Mitzvah gets closer, Ellen begins to worry about what kind of woman she wants to be. When everybody in school starts to change their looks and personality to fit in with the crowd, Ellen stays true to herself and her personality. One of her female role models is her mother. Ellen feels that her mother focuses more on others than her. In fact, Ellen’s parents begin having fights because her dad is angered by the fact that her mom is never home. Ellen’s mom is an important doctor who travels not for fun but to help people in need. Her parents’ fights result in Ellen worrying about divorce. When the challenges in her life seem to be insurmountable, her family must mourn the loss of her Zayde (grandfather). Ellen starts doubting herself and is afraid of the challenges in her future. Despite the upheaval in her life, Ellen strives to become a kind and compassionate woman.

Opinion:
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. The book is a true page-turner because the conflicts Ellen faces are incredibly relatable for teenagers. She deals with the fear of growing up, the divorce of her parents, her crush on Noah, LGBTQ+ issues in her friend group, and grief. Ellen’s personality comes through well in the first-person narration chosen by the author. Readers are invited into Ellen’s thoughts as she tries to ponder her next move. The book teaches you that you should not change who you are to impress other people. An example of this is Ellen’s conviction that a girl should have a boyfriend who likes her for who she is, rather than who he wants her to be. The pace of the book was appealing because it focused on the events in Ellen’s life with incredible detail so that the reader feels a connection with the protagonist. The one change I would make to the book is the title. In my opinion mean is not a good adjective to describe Ellen as she is so kind and caring. I could not understand why the Author called the book "Mean".

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since reading HUSKY, I said that I wanted Ellen’s story. After reading (and sobbing) to PRETTY, I emailed my sales rep and BEGGED her that we needed Ellen’s story. I’ve been waiting and hoping and checking for a year to see if we would get it. And now that it’s here, I’m feeling so grateful.

When I read one of these books, all I can think of is the word generous. Justin Sayre is so generous to his characters; he allows them to be flawed, and powerful, and hopeless, and triumphant. I’m really not being hyperbolic when I say I would love to see these books added to the reading lists of young people everywhere, the kind of books that should go into the canon alongside Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Katherine Paterson, etc.

Ellen was always my favorite of the characters, and maybe it’s because she reminds me of myself: honest to the point where it seems mean, unsure of herself so she puts up a wall in defense, but fiercely protective of her friends and family. In MEAN, we follow her in the weeks leading up to her bat mitzvah, while she figures out what it means to be a woman, and if a ceremony will really make that much of a difference in how she feels about herself. This is also a book about family: about her grandparents and her mother (whose drive for success and accomplishment outside of the home to the detriment of her relationship with her family inside the home also reminded me of myself), about faith and expectations. Like all of these books, MEAN is about growing up and becoming yourself - the person you’ll be - at one of the most difficult ages.

And I’m not going to pretend like I’m not flabbergasted by Justin Sayre’s ability to tap into what it’s like to be a young girl in the midst of puberty, worrying about things like boobs.

Here’s the thing: I have my Ellen book. The circle is complete. But I would take more if I got it. I would read an Allegra book, annoying as she is. That’s how great these are.

[Jennifer Hill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently this is the third novel, I hope his other two were better. Ellen is considered "mean" by her friends (aka honest, I guess) and I really didn't see any of that in the tone of this book. The story also seemed very disjointed and jumped around. I think there was too much story in this book. I almost stopped reading it, but decided to finish.

Ellen is Jewish and is getting ready for her Bat Mitzvah. She has a best friend, Sophie and Davis , along with Charlie (who she plays Call of Duty with online). Her mom is a heart doctor and her dad is a doctor as well. Her mom seems to never be home as she is out "saving the world" and her dad is also out late. Her younger sister Hannah is deaf and they are looking to get cochlear implants for her. She also has a "nemesis", Allegra, who starts going to Hebrew school with her to get ready for her own Bat Mitzvah. The story pretty much tells us about Ellen and her struggles with her body development, her parents lack of attention, and her crush, Noah. It also delves into Charlie and Davis' relationship.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mean is the third in a trilogy about three friends in a Brooklyn middle school. The titles of all three books are adjectives that the characters feel labeled with as they move toward high school. The first two books Husky and Pretty are about the friends of Mean's protagonist Ellen. I wish I could have read the first two books, but also feel that the characters in this third book of Justin Sayres have had/will have interesting stories to tell. Ellen, although blunt with her words, is suffering inside as she fears that her hard-working parents are going to divorce. It doesn't help that her Bat-mizvah is on the horizon and she doesn't feel prepared emotionally or socially for weight of becoming a woman in the Jewish community. I liked this book for its glimpses into Jewish culture tempered with Ellen's relationships to others around her. Her struggles with finding balance between her intellectual and emotional lives while learning to appreciate her own physical appearance are relatable to many middle schoolers. The text is honest and witty, but drives home how much Ellen uses words to fend off feeling anything inside.

[Carli · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5. I wasn’t so into this one at first, but it grew on me. Seventh grader Ellen is considered the “mean” one out of her friends because she doesn’t have a filter and is honest to a fault. However, as her bat mitzvah approaches, and has to face the fact that her mother still isn’t home from Chicago (she is a heart surgeon working on a trial) and her grandfather, who has arrived from Florida, doesn’t look so great. As she explores who she is and who she wants to be, Ellen learns what is really important. Recommended for grades 6+.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so... Turns out this is quite literally a children's book. Not even young adult, it's middle grade. But I downloaded it based solely on the cute green cover so I had no idea until I started reading, haha.

Mean is about Ellen, a twelve-year-old Jewish girl in New York who is up to her eyeballs in Hebrew prep for her Bat Mitzvah. Her surgeon mother is literally never home, she thinks her parents are getting a divorce, and her little sister needs a cochlear implant. Add to that boy troubles and boob troubles and the usual school stress, and Ellen starts being, well, a little mean.

This was charming to be honest. Pretty basic and formulaic plot-wise, but if I were ten years old again I'd have really loved these characters. There's some very sweet life lessons to be had here, and I especially liked Ellen's grandmother's wisdom.

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Ellen and her life as a teenager. She has to learn that you shouldn't care about what other people say about you. You have to be true to yourself. I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. At some points in the story, it was boring while at others, it could be interesting. I would recommend this book to people who like realistic fiction books. I would also recommend this book to students in grades 6-8.

[Jenny Ashby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read an ARC and let's hope the story gets a lot of reworking before release. It is choppy - both in terms of sentence structure and overall story structure - with lots of repetitive words to boot. Ellen's rabbi has some nice concepts and words of wisdom to impart, but there's not much else to make you care about the story.

[Della Considine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the book. The way she had problems all around but she tired to solve them the best she could. She had girls she didn't like become her sorta friend. And her real friends had some problems that she helped out with too. The only reason I rated it down is that it's not on AR. Pretty and Husky are on there but not Mean!

[Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is also good because it teaches you about life as a kid who wants to be like others who wants to be popular but popularity doesn’t matter at all and I can’t tell you everything because if you want to get to know the book even better, you should definitely read it then!!!😁😊😄

[Bea · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

[Abigail Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an inspiring story of learning how to accept yourself and others for who you are. This book teaches you that you can be a lot of things. You don´t have to only be known by one adjective. ¨the mean one¨, ¨The weird one¨. Instead you can be weird, and pretty, and funny, and kind. YOU get to choose. You can express what you like and want to do. You can stand up for yourself. You can learn how to be kinder to others, and most importantly, make friends.