It Happened on Saturday

December 1, 2022
After her best friend acquires a boyfriend at summer camp, an eighth grader persuades her older sister to give her a makeover, then posts it online. Nori, whose parents recently separated, chooses hanging out with Luke over helping Julia volunteer at the stables where she takes riding lessons. Their friendship fraying, Julia feels abandoned. Her family's preoccupied, especially sister Danielle, who is wrangling high school, choir, a boyfriend, and a part-time job. The makeover she gives Julia, however, works wonders: Julia could pass for 16, Danielle says. Julia's sophisticated image prompts flattery from friends and strangers on social media--including handsome Tyler, who says he attends 10th grade at a nearby private school and follows up his compliments with requests to meet. Wary at first, Julia's soon disarmed by his interest. More dates follow--a fancy dinner, minigolf--and expensive treats. Largely estranged from Nori, who warns her this is risky behavior, leading to a fight, Julia tries to enjoy the attention of girls who once ignored her. But Tyler is not what he seems: Following a nightmarish discovery and close call with a trafficker, Julia enters group therapy. Most characters follow a White default; Nori is Japanese American. Dunlap writes with compassion about factors that render adolescents particularly vulnerable to trafficking and what it takes to keep them safe; she offers insights into how excruciating self-consciousness prevents victims from seeking help or sharing their experiences. A powerful work. (author's note, author Q&A, discussion guide) (Fiction. 10-14)

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December 15, 2023

Gr 5-8-Julia is entering eighth grade and feels her world shifting; her best friend Nori has a boyfriend and so does Julia's older sister. Other friends have moved away. Her craving for attention and affection is at an all-time high, so when Danielle offers to give Julia a makeover, she accepts and is in awe at the transformation. She posts a photo on social media and is instantly inundated with compliments, including one from Tyler, whom she doesn't know. When Tyler messages her privately, she knows she should not respond, but does so anyway. Tyler and Julia quickly form a connection. He floods her with attention, gifts, and expensive meals, ultimately trapping her in a hotel room for a trafficker. Unbelievably, Julia gets rescued by the authorities. The latter portion of this simply written story deals with Julia's shame about the events and her steps to overcome the trauma, closing with her sharing the story with her friends to prevent them from being subjected to the same fate. While the romantic and trafficking content is for more mature middle grade students, the writing style makes this feel like a cautionary tale for younger readers about what not to do when they grow up. The message about not interacting with strangers online is important, but the novel does neglect to mention or represent that white middle class girls from solid homes (Julia's demographic) are not the most vulnerable to trafficking. VERDICT Adults concerned about online behaviors may wish to share this story with middle schoolers, but a conversation about the realities of human trafficking would be required to truly do this topic justice.-Kate Olson

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