Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
Reviewed by: Cindy Thomas, Youth Services Assistant
Genre: Contemporary Youth Fiction
Suggested Age: 12 and up
What is This Book About? Lily Jo McGrother and Dunkin Dorfman are both nervous about starting eighth grade. Lily, a transgender girl, wants to start openly being herself at school but is worried about how the jerk basketball players will react to her, plus her Dad can’t seem to understand why she needs to get hormone blockers as soon as possible. Dunkin, whose real name is Norbert, has just moved to town because of something that happened with his Dad and is anxious to fit in after years of being called the weird kid at his old school. When Lily and Dunkin meet, they instantly become friends, but things start to spiral when Dunkin decides to join the basketball team.
My Review: It’s hard to write a summary of this book that doesn’t sound cliché but also doesn’t give away a bunch of spoilers. Lily and Dunkin is easy to read and thoroughly engrossing. The point of view alternates between the two main characters, so you keep running into little cliffhangers. Plus, the chapters are short, which makes it good for people who have a hard time concentrating or can only spare a few minutes to read here and there. Both characters are extremely relatable and likeable. They each make mistakes and experience a lot of setbacks, but they always keep trying to do better. It’s a really well-written book and has the kind of hopeful ending that a lot of kids need to read.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Heartfelt, Emotional, Realistic
Give This a Try if You Like: Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky, Finding Perfect by Elly Swartz, In Your Shoes by Donna Gephart
Rating: 4/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
