Sunhead

Gr 9 Up–A charming LGBTQIA+ coming-of-age story that captures the ordinary angst of teenagers. Rotem, a teenage girl living in Tel Aviv, Israel, is obsessed with the book series “Sunrise.” She fantasizes about the vampire love story and spends her free time thinking about the upcoming movie and future books. Her friends and family are baffled by her interest. When she meets a new classmate, Ayala, she is excited to find a fellow reader. Rotem shares her book and the two begin an ongoing literary dialogue as they learn about each other’s lives. Caught between her old group of familiar friends and new ones, Rotem struggles to find a place for herself. When her feelings for Ayala begin to evolve, she’s confused. She pushes her friend away, uncertain about how to deal with her emotions. Going about her daily life, she struggles to figure out what is going on in her mind and body. As she experiments with her style and dress, Rotem finally begins to embrace her identity. The illustrations are soothing and warm, the dialogue is concise, and the characters are realistic. Rotem’s fixation on “Sunrise” is one that avid readers will appreciate. Pages devoted to her imaginative daydreams highlight the joy and escape reading provides. The setting of an Israeli city adds dimension to the story and highlights the universality of teenage gender and sexual identity exploration.