About This Book
Reach for this book when your child feels like a 'social scientist' watching from the sidelines, struggling to decode the confusing unwritten rules of middle school friendships and first crushes. It is an ideal choice for the analytical, neurodivergent, or highly logical child who finds the emotional world of their peers to be a puzzling mystery that requires a manual to solve. Emma-Jean Lazarus is a seventh grader who views life through a lens of pure logic, but she is pulled into the messy, irrational world of the Spring Fling dance and secret admirers. The story gently explores themes of empathy, the limits of logic, and the beauty of being 'different' in a sea of conformity. It is a sophisticated but age-appropriate look at growing up that validates the experience of children who don't quite fit the typical social mold.
