Just Happy to Be Here -- Naomi Kanakia, Hardcover

In this YA standalone perfect for fans of Tobly McSmith and Meredith Russo, the first out trans girl at an all-girls school must choose between keeping her head down or blazing a trail.

Tara just wants to be treated like any other girl at Ainsley Academy.

That is, judged on her merits--not on her transness. But there's no road map for being the first trans girl at an all-girls school. And when she tries to join the Sibyls, an old-fashioned Ainsley sisterhood complete with code names and special privileges, she's thrust into the center of a larger argument about what girlhood means and whether the club should exist at all.

Being the figurehead of a movement isn't something Tara's interested in. She'd rather read old speeches and hang out with the Sibyls who are on her side--especially Felicity, a new friend she thinks could turn into something more. Then the club's sponsor, a famous alumna, attacks her in the media and turns the selection process into a spectacle.

Tara's always found comfort in the power of other peoples' words. But when it comes time to fight for herself, will she be able to find her own voice?

Author: Naomi Kanakia
Publisher: Harperteen
Published: 01/02/2024
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780063216570
Age Range: 14-UP

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 10/23/2023
Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2023
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 12/01/2023
Booklist 12/01/2023 pg. 122