Unstuck

November 27, 2023
Seventh grader Lyla Benjamin is bursting with ideas for the extravagant fantasy novel she’s been plotting for a year, which centers on witches, feuding sisters, and a one-toed beast. But when her English class begins a creative writing unit that will end with the students participating in a town-wide writing contest that Lyla’s apparently perfect older sister Dahlia once won, Lyla experiences unexpected writer’s block. Even though she knows where she wants her novel to go, Lyla feels paralyzed by her goal to create an impressive story, resulting in distractions when she’s supposed to be writing. Her stress over the fast-approaching deadline is amplified by interpersonal complications including a growing rift with her best friend Rania, who’s attending a different middle school, and Dahlia confiding in Lyla that she’s uncertain about attending college. Through Lyla’s by turns earnest and anxious first-person perspective, Dee (Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet) deftly depicts the complex and sometimes turbulent writing process, and the self-doubt that can come with it. A section titled “Twenty-Five Ways to Get Unstuck” concludes. Lyla and her family are white; the supporting cast is racially diverse. Ages 9–13. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary.

December 1, 2023
If you already know your fantasy story's plot, characters, and world, then writing it will be easy, right? So why is Lyla so stuck? Attending a different middle school than her best friend, Rania Goswami, seventh grader Lyla hasn't found other close friends; at lunch she's stuck with weird, friendless, animal-obsessed Journey Lombardi-Sullivan. At least Lyla's favorite teacher assigns them creative writing, so Lyla can finally start the story she's long been plotting, one about a Scribe named Aster's quest through the haunted Quagmire to rescue her big sister. But why won't the words come? And why do Rania and her new friends seem to be laughing at Lyla's writing project? At home, constant fighting between Dahlia (Lyla's "genius" older sister) and their parents hides Dahlia's desperate desire not to attend college. How can Lyla unstick her writing, recognize her true friends, and find a practical way to help her sister? With wonderfully rich characterization and impeccable pacing, the author interweaves middle school friend and family dramas with struggles familiar to any writer. Of the many constructive suggestions offered by Lyla's teacher, some do help her, such as not remaining laser focused on winning the contest. The inserted excerpts from Lyla's novel demonstrate both her writing-process difficulties and how her real-life problems subconsciously inform her writing. Most main characters are cued white; Rania reads Indian American. A heartfelt exploration of a young writer's struggles and successes, with practical advice included. (writing tips) (Fiction. 9-12)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2023
Grades 4-7 Seventh-grader Lyla wants to--no, has to--submit her fantasy novel to the local writing contest. Overshadowed by her older sister (who's refusing to apply to college) and now rejected by her used-to-be best friend, Lyla feels like she has something to prove. But she's so desperate to be seen as a writer that she ends up completely blocked. With her teacher's help, Lyla gradually learns to embrace the writing journey rather than the destination. Lyla's slow progress to make meaningful changes to her story or relationships can drag at times, but dynamic side characters, such as her older sister and new friend, Journey, add color to Lyla's more insular perspective. With well-established insight into the interior lives of middle-schoolers, Dee (Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet, 2022) nails some of the tiny, painful intricacies of hesitant new friendships and feeling boxed in by other people's expectations. Lyla's passion and frustrations will be relatable to any aspiring young writer who's struggled with feeling blocked by their own big idea, and they may find Lyla's techniques helpful in their own writing.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from February 2, 2024

Gr 3-7-Lyla, 12, is in love with the idea of writing. She has a fully formed world and plot in her head but writer's block has her feeling highly stressed and disappointed in herself, her anxiety verging on panic attacks. In her story, a younger sister saves her older one from various dangers using her quick wits. In reality, Lyla's sister Dahlia can barely tolerate her. Preoccupied by senior year college applications, Dahlia chafes at her parents' encouragement that feels more like demands and she takes it out on Lyla. An elementary friendship is unraveling as Lyla insists that friends have to have everything in common; meanwhile, a writing contest deadline looms. All in all, Lyla feels stuck. But gentle support from her ELA teacher helps her deal with the growing anxiety and a possible new friend, who is nothing like Lyla, promises a path ahead. Ultimately, Lyla doesn't write her story, she lives it, and helps Dahlia find her own path. Short dynamic chapters and Lyla's distinctive and energetic voice will keep readers flipping the pages. Just as she has in My Life in the Fish Tank and other titles, Dee showcases the power of compassion and understanding during the crucial middle school years of growth and change. Readers see how anxiety starts, how it grows-and how it can be managed. The tips and tricks here about writing and stress will definitely translate to real life. VERDICT A top choice for middle school libraries and a great handsell for young adults with younger siblings.-Lee De Groft

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