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A review by lenoreo
The Pants Project by Cat Clarke
4.0
https://celebrityreaders.com/2021/07/05/the-pants-project-by-cat-clarke/
4 stars — I…don’t read Middle Grade books. I just don’t have a lot of interest, probably because I cringe at my middle grade self when I think on the past. It’s a rough age, no doubt about that. But I saw this on Chirp, and it had Julia Whelan as a narrator, and I just know I need more gender identity books in my life. And I can only imagine that this is an age where things start to become really really difficult for anyone trying to figure themselves out and assert themselves.
And honestly, that’s just exactly what I got from this book. It wasn’t just Liv struggling with their inner identity, it was also all the age old struggles of middle school and fitting in and bullying and all that stuff. I kind of expected Liv’s gender identity to be more in the forefront, but it was really more just between Liv and us. It just happens that the Pants Project grew from Liv’s struggle.
I LOVED seeing Liv interact with his family — I didn’t expect the two mom’s, and so that was a bit of a surprise. His brother Enzo was also kind of hilarious.
I think my favourite part was the developing friendship with Jacob. What a great friend he turned out to be, with his own struggles (which also surprised me).
While it felt like there were some stereotypical male/female gender likes/dislikes initially, it actually sort of blended out by the end. I really enjoyed Liv’s journey, even as parts of it weren’t what I was expecting.
4 stars — I…don’t read Middle Grade books. I just don’t have a lot of interest, probably because I cringe at my middle grade self when I think on the past. It’s a rough age, no doubt about that. But I saw this on Chirp, and it had Julia Whelan as a narrator, and I just know I need more gender identity books in my life. And I can only imagine that this is an age where things start to become really really difficult for anyone trying to figure themselves out and assert themselves.
And honestly, that’s just exactly what I got from this book. It wasn’t just Liv struggling with their inner identity, it was also all the age old struggles of middle school and fitting in and bullying and all that stuff. I kind of expected Liv’s gender identity to be more in the forefront, but it was really more just between Liv and us. It just happens that the Pants Project grew from Liv’s struggle.
I LOVED seeing Liv interact with his family — I didn’t expect the two mom’s, and so that was a bit of a surprise. His brother Enzo was also kind of hilarious.
I think my favourite part was the developing friendship with Jacob. What a great friend he turned out to be, with his own struggles (which also surprised me).
While it felt like there were some stereotypical male/female gender likes/dislikes initially, it actually sort of blended out by the end. I really enjoyed Liv’s journey, even as parts of it weren’t what I was expecting.