Review: 12 to 22 by Jen Calonita
Thank you Random House Children's for my copy of 12 to 22! All thoughts are my own.
I don’t read a ton of middle grade but when I saw this book from Jen Calonita come through my inbox, I was ready to channel my inner tween again. I loved Jen’s series Secrets of my Hollywood Life when I was a teen so I couldn’t help the nostalgia. Jen writes contemporary teens really well and pays attention to what is relevant to the day. But the lessons in her books, allowing her main characters to make big mistakes in order to learn, are the real magic.
This is a fun, quick read inspired by the movie 13 Going on 30 and I think would be a great buddy read for parents and teens. Social Media, while great, is also a really difficult space to navigate.
Synopsis:
“Turning 12 1/2 shouldn't be the most exciting birthday in the world. It's a half birthday after all. But Harper is thrilled because she is getting the biggest gift of all: her parent's approval to finally get social media accounts.
Except when she goes to post her first photo, there is a filter she has never heard of before. One that shows you what you will look like when you are older. Curious, Harper clicks on it...but ends up flash forwarding in time to when she is 22.
She will quickly find that being in her twenties means the freedom she always wanted, money for the glow up she didn't know she needed and working for her idol! But Harper soon discovers a lot more has changed than she expected--including the person she wants to be. Will Harper be able to use the filter to get the life of her dreams? Or will there be more glitches?” —Bookshop.org
What I Liked:
The Concept—I love 13 Going on 30 so I knew I wanted to read this book. I also know that if I was 12 or 13, I would have begged for this book. Between the cover and the content, I would have loved it. And I still enjoyed it as an adult, though it does make me even more nervous to parent in the future.
The Lessons—When we’re young, we’re so ready to grow up. And while there are benefits to being independent, slowing down childhood is never a bad thing. Sometimes I wish I could go back and tell myself it’s okay to just be a kid and not try so hard to be someone you’re not.
What Didn’t Work:
Very Literal—I would have loved to see a little more imagination behind the social media usage. It’s a slippery slope when using pop culture references because it doesn’t always leave the story as timeless. However, today’s tweens will eat this story us and it will be so relevant to them!
Character Authenticity: 4/5
Steam Rating: N/A (Middle Grade)
Overall Rating: 4/5
Content Warnings:
Bullying