So, this book was far more than I ever expected it to be. I'm not really a fan of science fiction, but I thought it would be good to step out of my usual genre for a while. I would definitely not classify it as a science-fiction, it's really a book about family, friends, and knowing who you are. I think it will be a great choice for Middle school readers who like a bit of a challenge. The narrative style is tricky at first, but then it hits a point where it works beautifully.

Pop quiz!

You like cute books. You also like diverse books. And you enjoy YA and kids books.

Question: will you like Felix Yz?

(tick tock tick tock…)

Answer: Yes! Most definitely YES!!

This is a very long review. I suggest you read it on my blog, cause Goodreads does not have such formatting capabilities.

Reasons to like Felix Yz?
This is, like, the most diverse book ever. If you thought you read diverse? This is probably more diverse. How?

For starters, Felix is… pretty much disabled (there’s a reason why I say ‘pretty much’). Even though he is not really physically disabled, he gets the brunt from everything disabled people have to suffer from. I especially liked it, because this stands for both the mentally and physically disabled! Cause poor Felix has to deal with both pain, inability to physically do stuff, and have people think he’s stupid because he can’t quite talk properly, when in fact he has a fully functioning mind of any normal teen. Of course, it’s not a typical disability, and I don’t want to spoil, but basically… It represents what disabled kids have to go through very well, I think.

Second, to top all of it off, Felix isn’t just physically different. He also happens to like a boy. It adds to the problems of being accepted as well. And although he feels alright about the fact that he might like boys (or both girls and boys, for that matter – we don’t know), it’s that he’s not sure how the other person will feel about it. I like the way this is handled like any straight-people crush would be handled in a book. We don’t get lectured about it or anything. It’s just treated as normal! Diversity at its best.

Then there’s the third part. I think I found this to be the best part of all, but Felix’s Grandy (grandparent) is… of unknown biological sex. They choose their own sexuality, being male for two days, then female for two more, etc. There are even these special pronouns the writer has come up with, I thought that was lovely. It’s hard for me to sum up why I liked it so much, so if you want a long quote, again, go read this on my blog.

Anyway, can’t only be talking about diversity here, right? The book was enjoyable even aside from that. It was just so warm, cozy, adorable. It focuses a lot on love, family, and the fact that even good families might have problems. Then there are all those adorable word plays! Like all of the names in his family (end in “xyz”) or how his Grandy loves making games out of letters and sounds. It’s so adorable, in a nerdy/geeky way, and just too good to be true.

It might be hard for me to explain to you exactly how this book felt, but I will give you something to compare it with. If you liked these books, you will certainly like Felix Yz:

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Things I Should Have Known by Claire LaZebnik
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle

Ultimately, it’s a tale about how one feels when they’re different, and especially – when they’re about to die. It’s about treasuring life, taking responsibility, about loving life. About accepting the hand you’re dealt. And it’s just so touching along the way, you will not want to let it go when you’ve read the very last page. I strongly encourage you to give this book a go. It was great.

A wonderful story of self-acceptance and diversity; recommended for everyone. I did find Grandy's pronoun choice a little confusing -- 'they' is standardized as a nongendered pronoun, and there has been an established 'v' pronoun since the 80s -- but it didn't hamper my enjoyment of the book. The Ben plotline, however, didn't add much to the story, and I drove myself crazy wondering what "Ben" name would end in x.

It took me awhile to,connect to,the voice of,this character, Felix. Felix is connected to another being through a freak accident that happened when he was about 3 and took the life of his dad. Felix is,surrounded by a loving family, his sister, his mom, and his grandparent, who switches genders based on the day of,the week. Part of what made it confusing for me was the use of genderless pronouns. Felix is gay and part of the story talks about trying develop a relationship with another boy. I thought it was a good story and I think it will resonate with middle and high school students who might also be struggling with gender issues.

Felix Yz is a teenage boy who was at a young age fused by a freak accident with a fourth dimensional being, whom he and his family call *zyxilef, Zyx for short. The story contained within encompasses the month before a not-so-routine surgery is scheduled to separate Felix from Zyx and is written in journal, stream-of-consciousness style, switching between Felix and Zyx who uses Felix's finger to type, communicating in this way with Felix and the rest of Felix's family. It chronicles Felix's thoughts, feelings, fears, and interactions with others in the month leading up to Day Zero.

To the book's credit, the story line is quite unique as is the choice in writing style. Also, I enjoyed how Zyx expressed his enjoyment of chess and music. However, in reading the book, I found that it was definitely not my cup of tea. The stream-of-consciousness writing with two beings was jerky and hard to enjoy. Though some would argue that the book deals with some very common themes, I cannot relate to the unique experiences in which the main character finds himself, nor do I think the students that I teach will relate well either.

This book was provided by NetGalley and Penguin Group: Viking Books for Young Readers in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.

The story is a bit strange, but the characters are likable. Felix's blog format is great, and his crush on Hector is realistic. Even Grandy, (grandma/pa) is a cool character to read about. An interesting read for people who like a bit of sci fi in their family story).