I have been here. I have experienced this. I have felt the embarrassment and shame of growing up and how that starts to change how other people treat you. It isn’t right. It isn’t fair. We can change the narrative for future girls by giving them the confidence to listen to their inner voices and tell someone.
For seventh-grader Mila, it starts with some boys giving her an unwanted hug on the school blacktop. A few days later, at recess, one of the boys (and fellow trumpet player) Callum tells Mila itâs his birthday, and asks her for a âbirthday hug.â Heâs just being friendly, isnât he? And how can she say no? But Callumâs hug lasts a few seconds too long, and feelsâŚweird. According to her friend, Zara, Mila is being immature and overreacting. Doesnât she know what flirting looks like?
But the boys donât leave Mila alone. On the bus. In the halls. During band practiceâthe one place Mila could always escape.
It doesnât feel like flirtingâso what is it? Thanks to a chance meeting, Mila begins to find solace in a new place: karate class. Slowly, with the help of a fellow classmate, Mila learns how to stand her ground and how to respect othersâand herself.
Aladdin, Amazon
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