Rules for Camouflage

May 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Evvie Chambers is one project away from graduation. But her biology teacher, Mrs. Dearborn, has assigned her a report on foxes and won't make any accommodations for her neurodivergence or her special interest in cephalopods--especially Aretha, the day octopus at the Minnesota Zoo. She has some teachers who accommodate her and the other "weird" kids, especially Ms. Brownlee, the band teacher, who set up a "lair" in the band storage room for sensory breaks, naps, snacks, and general time-outs. Mrs. Dearborn's great-nephew Vandal and his friends are escalating their attacks on the lair kids from mockery to physical altercations, and with her best friend spending more time drinking, Evvie needs to make lists (of eight points each, one for each of Aretha's tentacles) to figure out how to solve her problems, gather allies, and fight for the rights of all the "weird" kids. Supporting her are her mom (also neurodivergent), the aquarium keepers at the zoo, and Blue, another zoo volunteer and Evvie's romantic interest. Cronn-Mills (Wreck, 2019) never reveals any specific diagnoses, but her insightful and honest depiction of the reality of life with an "unruly brain" makes this a must-read. As Evvie lists, "1. Don't / 2. let / 3. the / 4. neurotypicals / 5. get / 6. you / 7. down. / 8. Amen."

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May 1, 2024
Multiple trials make a neurodivergent Minnesota teenager's last days of high school decidedly tumultuous. Like Aretha, the octopus she tends devotedly as a volunteer at the nearby zoo, Evvie Chambers has an intense personality as well as the ability to camouflage herself when needed. Both qualities come into play when a possibly romantic connection develops with a fellow volunteer and the band storage room known as the Lair (a safe retreat for students who need it) is exposed. Due entirely to mutual personal animus, a teacher also threatens to deny her the grade she needs to graduate. (Though that same bad apple stands by silently while a vicious teen bully targets classmates, other staff members do show up to do the right thing.) Neurotypical characters generally stay in the background; most of those in Evvie's circle, including her own divorced mom, have diagnosed differences that are clearly and sensitively observed in Evvie's first-person narrative but never named. This approach allows readers to go beyond labels to see the unique mix of abilities and vulnerabilities in each person. Ultimately Evvie does successfully, even joyously, weather both emotional and academic challenges. On the way to a buoyant ending, the author splices in rich veins of encouragement as well as useful coping strategies, and at the very end, Aretha slithers onstage to deliver a heartening, informative, informational pep talk. Most of the cast registers as white. Intense and sometimes scary, but chock-full of heart and heady affirmation. (Fiction. 14-18)

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June 28, 2024

Gr 9 Up-Evvie Chambers can't wait to graduate high school. After all, avoiding bullies, dealing with her biology teacher Mrs. Dearborn, and camouflaging her true self all day takes up a lot of energy. Thank goodness for the Lair: a storage room transformed into a secret space "for all the kids who need time-outs on a regular basis. Good time-outs. Not the punishing kind." Kids like Evvie. She knows she has an "unruly brain," she just doesn't see what's wrong with that. Fortunately, Rachel, the band teacher, understands. So does Evvie's mom (who recently discovered her own neurodiversity), and Evvie's best friend Ken. But Mrs. Dearborn doesn't, and she's Evvie's final hurdle before a gap year to work with Aretha, an octopus at the Minnesota Zoo and Evvie's "most favorite animal on Earth besides [her] cat, Popcorn." Things are not going well: Mrs. Dearborn requires a final presentation on foxes instead of octopuses, Ken is struggling with potential alcohol abuse, and rumors abound that the Lair will be closed. So when Evvie meets Blue, she adds navigating her first relationship to an already overwhelming list. At times her talk around labels (which are never disclosed) takes readers out of the story, and some characters are cartoonishly cruel, particularly when a fellow student is attacked. Still, readers will root for Evvie's success and appreciate her deep connection to Aretha and the way the octopus, master of camouflage, teaches Evvie all the lessons she needs to live and love comfortably in her own skin. VERDICT Some uneven characterization but nonetheless a mostly refreshing entry to the growing body of literature featuring neurodivergent characters. Recommended.-Rebecca Kirshenbaum

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