About This Book
Reach for this book if your child is a meticulous planner who struggles when life deviates from their script, or if they are navigating body-focused repetitive behaviors like hair pulling or skin picking. Shai is a thirteen-year-old nonbinary student who uses research and logic to manage their world. After a period of isolation and financial instability, Shai attempts to 'optimize' their entry into public school, only to find themselves accidentally skipped into the ninth grade. This story provides a compassionate, secular look at anxiety, gender identity, and the courage it takes to exist in a world that cannot be fully researched in advance. Appropriate for ages 9 to 13, it beautifully bridges the gap between middle grade and young adult themes. Parents will appreciate the way it normalizes therapeutic concepts and the reality of living with Trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder) without making the character feel broken. It is a powerful tool for discussing how to handle 'life's twists and turns' when your internal compass feels a bit shaky.
