Jessie reviewed You don't know everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino
Jilly thinks she's figured out how life works. But when her sister Emma is born …
Review of "You don't know everything, Jilly P!" on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Mixed feelings on this one. It's written for white, hearing children trying to navigate their privilege. Jilly P makes mistakes (and watches others make mistakes) in interacting with her Deaf sister, Deaf Black friend, and Black aunt, and she learns what she did wrong and how to do better. In that way, I think it's essential reading for all white hearing children. For me, it's just a little too...after-school special is the wrong phrase, but it reads almost like a story version of a pamphlet on "how to start acknowledging your privilege." Jilly P is charming, though, and I enjoyed her Aunt Alicia a lot, too. It's a book where the message is better articulated than the story, I suppose. Still, I'll add it to my list of realistic fiction recommendations.