Now that the weather is getting nicer, I am looking forward to reading more YA books outside. This is one I ordered because I heard so many great things about it and it's been sitting on my shelf since the winter.
This story is about Layla- a girl who does her best to go unnoticed because she knows that attention might attract people who ask questions. Questions like why does she wear the same clothes everyday, why does she not wash her hair more often, what does she do for food and why can't she use her front door to get into her apartment? However, the mean girls at school like to bring attention to her appearance by tweeting about it. But Layla is determined to ignore the girls, focus on keeping her brother safe and following her love of science.
When the science teacher assigns a project to record a biome, Layla chooses her apartment to share with the class. This includes the black mold, mushrooms and a fridge that cannot even be opened. When her living conditions come to light- her video goes viral and suddenly, all the people and questions she was trying to avoid become unavoidable. Layla must decide how to allow her reality to be known to all and how to move forward when everything she has known starts changing.
Layla's story is quite heartbreaking. It reminds me of how we as adults don't have any idea what is happening in children's homes.
This book does have some mature content, there is some swearing, but it is appropriate for grades 7 and 8 students.
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