The World Divided by Piper
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
From the critically acclaimed author of the ALA Notable and Charlotte Huck Honor Book Forever, or a Long, Long Time comes the story of Piper Franklin, the girl who is way too busy to grow up . . . until she has to. Perfect for fans of Alyson Gerber and Rebecca Stead.
Piper Franklin has big plans. First, she’ll win the Academic Decathlon with her best friend, Tallulah. Then, she’ll finish her life’s work: Metaphorical Math. And in the meantime, she and Tallulah will maintain their secret, El Jardin Muerto. Nothing can stop Piper . . . except for puberty.
Piper was diagnosed with early-onset puberty, and she’s been taking blockers to keep it at bay since she was six years old. But now her doctor thinks it’s time for her treatment to end, and Piper’s eyes are opened to a completely new world.
Piper sees the issues that her older sister and her mom struggle with and gets a very clear picture of her own future—one that she’s not sure she likes. Will a changing body change all of Piper’s plans? And why does she have to grow up in the first place? Or does she?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With complexity and warmth, Carter (Fifty-Four Things Wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers) centers a seventh grader with big plans for her future, none of which involve growing up. Gifted 11-year-old Piper Franklin, inventor of a new branch of mathematics that quantifies and explains emotions called Metaphorical Math, can't wait to attend an elite summer program for winners of the Children's Academic Decathlon. Piper has no doubt she'll win—until her mother announces that it's time to stop her puberty blocker treatment, which she began following her "precocious puberty" diagnosis at age six. Not only is Piper certain that experiencing periods will distract her from the decathlon, but she's not eager to deal with the disrespect she's witnessed adult women endure. As the competition looms, Piper must explain her desire for blockers without admitting her deepest secret: that she doesn't want to grow up to be like her mother. Brainy, transgender ally Piper's lack of context for gender-based discrimination sometimes feels forced, and subplots with friends from marginalized communities seem to only serve in helping Piper to understand and contextualize systemic oppression. Competition drama adds excitement to this relationship-driven story that's interspersed with pages from Piper's Metaphorical Math notebooks. Piper reads as white. Ages 8–12.
