Just Shy of Ordinary

 Tell me a story... about trying to find yourself

Just Shy of Ordinary by A.J. Sass

Expected publication date: January 30, 2024

Date read: January 14, 2024

Thirteen-year-old Shai is an expert problem-solver. There’s never been something they couldn’t research and figure out on their own. But there’s one thing Shai hasn’t been able to logic their way through: picking at the hair on their arms. Ever since their mom lost her job, the two had to move in with family friends, and the world went into pandemic lockdown, Shai’s been unable to control their picking. Now, as the difficult times recede, Shai’s hoping the stress that caused their picking will end, too. After reading that a routine can reduce anxiety, Shai makes a plan to create a brand-new normal for themself that includes going to public school. But when their academic evaluation places them into 9th grade instead of 8th, it sets off a chain of events that veer off the path Shai had prepared for, encouraging Shai to learn how to accept life's twists and turns, especially when you can't plan for them.

There was a lot that I liked about this book. Shai was a great character. I could see a lot of people seeing something of themselves in this character, especially after the difficulties of remote schooling. Shai's issues with transitioning from home school to middle school seemed very real and relatable. There was also the dilemma that this character had with trying to come out to their friends and classmates as nonbinary, which is another trait that many readers may empathize with. In addition, Shai was also dealing with a lot of undiagnosed anxiety as well as trying to figure out how they fit into their family's religious background.

My one complaint about this book is that at times it seemed like there was just too much going on. One of these issues would have been enough to write an excellent middle grade book on. Starting at a new school. Coming out as nonbinary. Antisemitism. Anxiety and OCD. Fitting them all into one book... at times it just seemed like a lot. 

That being said, I do think that the author did a good job of tackling these issues in a way that will be both interesting and understandable for a middle grade audience. Shai is an excellent character to present these issues to this audience, and their thoughts and feelings about what they were going through were very clear and well-presented. As an adult, I often felt a lot of stress and anxiety waiting to see how their story would play out and if they would get the help that they needed, but I don't think that it would be too stressful for the intended audience. I also like that not every issue was wrapped up in a clean little bow at the end, but everything was addressed in a realistic way. Anxiety cannot be "fixed" in a day, but knowing that it was being addressed in a proper way in the end was reassuring, and I think that Shai's inner thoughts as they were dealing with it will be good for this age group to see. 

I didn't love Shai's mother in this story, and her reservations about Shai's research into Judaism was really the one storyline that I took issue with. I can understand (kind of) why she was hesitant about Shai getting too involved, but the cold, preachy tone that she often took with Shai about it was really off-putting. But that's really the only part of the story that bothered me. 

Overall, I thought that this was an excellent book for middle grade readers that deals with a whole host of issues that kids at this age might be suffering with in silence, and books like this are great to show that they are not alone. Shai is a relatable character that I think readers will really like. This is definitely a book that I would recommend to middle grade readers and their parents. 

Rating: 4/5 stars

Content warning: pandemic, self-harm (Shai picks the hairs off her arms when she's anxious, resulting in painful, blotchy skin), homophobic slurs, misgendering, queerphobia, hate crimes, antisemitism, accidental forced outing of a gay character

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.