Pink

Ava has a lot going for her. She's smart and has sophisticated Chloe as a girlfriend, but she wants to reinvent herself as someone more traditionally feminine—like "girls who liked boys." When she transfers to an elite private school, she is taken in by a group of high-achievers, but finds it difficult to fit in with their seeming perfection. Rejected from the school play, Ava volunteers with the stage crew instead, and begins bonding with the misfits who build sets. But her popular friends judge them harshly, and Ava also faces constant anxiety as she tries to keep her relationship with Chloe a secret. Though readers will likely empathize with Ava's efforts to compartmentalize her life, the thoughtful conversations she has about the complexity of gender and identity, both with her stage crew friends and her parents, make up the strongest parts of Australian author Wilkinson's story. Ava's worlds collide in a melodramatic conclusion that strains believability, but her final realization ("Maybe I didn't have to choose for sure now") is cogent and satisfying. Ages 12–up. (Feb.)