Greenwald, Lisa. Absolutely, Positively Natty. HarperCollins / Katherine Tegen, 05/2023. 272pp. Fiction. Trade $18.99. 978-0-06-306272-6. GRADES 6 – 7. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
There is a lot wrong with Natty’s life: her depressed mom has moved out and her unemployed dad barely gets off the couch. Natty’s had to move in with her grandparents in her dad’s economically depressed hometown and start middle school again without her best friend. But Natty is convinced that a positive attitude and some effort on her part can turn it all around. Her relentlessly energetic efforts to inject good vibes into a school on the verge of a teacher walkout and filled with snarky, troubled, and toxic teens is cringeworthy, hilarious, and heartwarming. The mix of interior monologue, text messages, and dialog feels just right. Like a middle school Ted Lasso, readers will find themselves rooting for Natty while worrying about a kid smoothing over the awful and taking on the impossible. Most characters present as white; Natty’s family is Jewish. Review based on an Advance Reader Copy.
Melissa McAvoy—Retired