Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

Great representation of a non-binary character and acceptance. The character's gender is explained at the beginning of the story, then the story continues. Riley and their friends create fantastic costumes for school costume day through teamwork and offering support to one another. the illustrations throughout the book were great, and the discussion questions at the end were useful to kickstart a conversation with my eight-year-old. This is a fun story for early elementary students that aims to make every child feel seen. I cannot wait to read the other Riley Reynolds books in the series with my eight-year-old!

Not much happens in this book, but it's a cute, upbeat story about an openly nonbinary kid with zero angst around being nonbinary. It's a heavily illustrated chapter book / semi-graphic novel. I enjoyed the shoutout to Melissa by Alex Gino.

I was a bit disappointed that the book chose not to explore body diversity and/or class diversity. The book centers on Riley and their classmates creating costumes for their school dress-up day, and Riley (who loves dressing up) has a classmate, Maddie, who dislikes dressing up and always goes as a ghost for Halloween. I thought the book might (briefly) explore the difficulty of finding clothes that fit fat bodies, or the struggle for some families to afford costumes, but Maddie's dislike of costumes is never explained. Of course, it's also fine to just not enjoy dressing up even if you have money and a normative body! Still, this seemed like a missed opportunity.

Rep: Main character is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns; they are probably white but it's not explicitly specified. Side characters include a Black girl and a nonbinary (they/them) librarian.

Albee presents us with a reasonable, relatable plot. It's low drama, accessible for sensitive readers.

All hail Riley Reynolds, the costume visionary! I have to say that for a fourth grader Riley and their friends are pretty smart designing dope costumes like that. Schools really need to encourage going all the way for activities like these, it was so fun to read about Costume Day! Riley was an absolute sunshine and I enjoyed the cute costume descriptions, being a cosplayer myself. I really connected to Riley when they said that though they couldn't design the costume as extravagantly as they imagined it inside their head, doing so with their friends and whatever material they had was what made it so fun, and I sooo agree with them.

Read this one after a long day at work and felt full. Wish the book had more graphics though hehe.

I'm so happy that there's a chlidren book out here in the world with a non-binary protagonist! Non-binary representation is so hard to find even in adult books. So I'm glad this is what you are giving to the children in the world: a chance to see themselves being represented. I'm over the moon about this.

how absolutely charming is this gem of a chapter book? it's got the cutest illustrations and is fairly short so it's easy to digest for younger readers without alienating older audiences, especially teachers who might want to teach the material in their classes. riley reynolds crushes costume day is a picture of inclusivity, as it features a nonbinary character as its lead, and the storytelling is upbeat, with the cast being all truly supportive and encouraging of each other. *thank you, netgalley, for the ARC!*

Super sweet story with lovely nonbinary representation! I wonder if some of it might go over the heads of unguided and/or younger readers, but I could see parents (especially trans parents) having a great read-aloud and discussion with this book. As a nonbinary reader who also uses they/them pronouns, I thought Riley's gender identity was handled great. The story is preceded by a brief glossary of terms that reads like it's intended for an adult reading alongside their child, and the story itself is enhanced by occasional, almost comic-like illustrations throughout. Although the story didn't totally grip me, I'd be excited to see what Riley Reynolds does next!

I love reading gender inclusive and queer identity inclusive books for children. I am overjoyed to know that the brilliant children in my life will have so much access to media where they will see themselves reflected back! Riley’s story is a beautiful and simple one, focusing on individual skills and personal strengths, being yourself, and supporting others. I think this is full of positive messaging for elementary school children in just about every way. The kids have their own unique personalities that are supported by their pals and families and reflected back by their teachers as well. The characters all foster a love of creativity and imagination, and find ways to build on their strength, create a costume that makes them feel comfortable and included, and each have a chance to be a part of the group in their own way. I love that nothing about the diverse cast of genders and personalities feels forced, too. It flows well and just IS. That is so lovely to see! The follow up questions at the end of the book make this easy to incorporate into classroom reading, therapy sessions, family reading time, or even as an individual journal prompt for independent readers. I appreciated that it opens with definitions and simple explanations of terminology and honorifics, and then reiterates that both in the story and in the back of the book questions in another way. I cannot wait to gift this series to the little queer niblings in my life. I have a very special bi-pan-lesbian kiddo and non-binary kiddo who would absolutely love this. It’s also great for kids of all identities and backgrounds and a good way for parents, teachers, grandparents, and caregivers of any kind to engage in these topics in a safe, simple, and straightforward way. Lovely chance for families to interact in an unmuddled, uncomplicated way. Fantastic!

9/10
Riley Reynolds Crushes Costume Day is a middle grade book that follows Riley, a non-binary 4th grader, and their class as they all decide what costumes they want to wear from their favorite books. I think this book is great for people looking for LGBTQ+ middle grade books. The artwork is fun, the story is cute and meaningful, and most importantly it shows non-binary characters getting to be happy.

Thank you so much to Capstone/Stone Arch books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

I loved how much of an inclusive book this was, so wonderful to find a book like this it offers so much to young kids, giving them a great way to see inclusion. You got a really cool teacher glosssary at the start to teach all the facts, terms to help guide correctly.

Riley has all the great ideas for what costumes to wear, that every kid in school wanted their help on what they should do too. They were such a perfect helper for all their friends and never let anyone down in ensuring they all had the very best costumes they could for costume day at school. I really loved that even thoughRiley wanted to work on their own costume they still were kind enough to help all the other children.

Though I loved aspects of the story I wasn’t the biggest fan of it all, it just seemed a bit too long to me personally. A lot of the same kept happening through each chapter that could have been shortened a little bit. However it was really unique and interesting story with great inclusion and I like seeing all school costume day having the kids to all decide what they wanted to wear and all needing Riley’s help.

In the first book of this new series for early readers, 4th grader Riley Reynolds is looking forward to costume day. They love making things, and they don't just get to make their own costume; everyone in the school knows that Riley has the best ideas.

The Riley Reynolds series falls into that age range where books depend more on characters and concept than the outline of the plot. We have few conflicts that aren't resolved within the page and the sequence of events will be very clear for young readers. Each chapter finishes with a page of comic-style illustrations of the chapter, and while they're well done and help guide the story, they might have been more successful interspersed with the text instead of consisting of such a sharp divide. This book in particular, as costume day revolves around dressing up as your favorite character, references other literature for young people, from Alex Gino's Melissa to Daniel Haack's Prince and Knight; children might be confused about the stories mentioned, but they also might take this book as a great jumping off point to seek out the stories Riley and their friends discuss. The discussion guide in the back suggests that this is a book designed for reading in a classroom setting (or perhaps a school library, as we're shown!) where a recommended reading list of this kind could be very helpful.

Aside from the illustrations, the age range, the theming... Riley Reynolds Crushes Costume Day is a book about nonbinary joy. A 4th grade protagonist using they/them pronouns- the narration using they/them pronouns!- as well as the school librarian, with no comments or judgements or even casual discussion. Riley introduces themself to the reader with a list of things they love, like animals, arts and crafts, their family, and the fact that they're not a boy or a girl, just Riley. Other books about trans children around this age, important and wonderful and necessary books, have to dedicate some of their page space and story to self discovery, or coming out, or explaining or defending a character's gender, but we've got no time for that here. Riley's too busy helping everyone design the best costumes ever.

I received an ARC from NetGalley to provide this unbiased review, and this book is included in my ongoing study of trans children's literature.

Riley Reynolds Crushes Costume Day (Hardcover)
by Jay Albee
An inclusive book to introduce and explain some of the terms and ideology of LGTBQ+ society. It gives a very personal look at a child who identifies but does not have all the answers yet. It shows the slow understanding, and acceptance of their identity, and the helpful acceptance of the adults around them. In a relatable story about preparing for a holiday and anticipating something that culturally inclusive

Riley Reynolds is a nonbinary Middle Grader. Riley and her friends want to have the best costumes for the Dress Like Your Favorite Character Day and together they try to make the best group costume. It was easy for Riley and her friends to find the perfect idea but a lot of other kids struggled with the ideas.

This is a book about friendship, working together and that there aren’t “girls” or “boys” costumes and that everybody should be who they want to be!

I really liked the introduction and how the different genders etc. were explained. The chapters themselves had a good length and the little comics after each chapter were really fun to read. This book is a good way to teach children Non-binary and the questions in the end of the book give a good ideas to discuss this topic even more.

Altogether I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it. It’s good for kids (or adults) to read it themselves but it’s also a good book to read out loud to your child (or to your grandchildren or nephew and niece etc.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone for this E-ARC!

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Wow this was amazing, I loved the swap between a comic to a written out story.
Riley's stories are always fun to read however I find it so important that not only the children are educated on Riley's dun adventures but also on the whole Non-Binary behalf of the story.

I think it's a beautiful way to educate while entertaining and cannot express that more.

Absolutely loved it!

This was a fabulous story aimed at 7-10-year-olds that normalizes gender fluidity. I love the mix of illustrations and story as well as the discussion questions and writing prompts at the end. This series and others like them are needed in every school library and I love their celebration of costume making and books and allowing kids to fully express themselves. This story mentioned several of my favorite books and the costumes were adorable. I loved that Riley helped their classmates not by telling them what to do, but instead by asking them questions, listening to them, and helping them figure out what would make them happiest. I love that the parents, neighbors, and school were all loving and supportive towards all of the neighborhood kids--a true community. I highly recommend this book and will be looking for the other Riley Reynolds books.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This book will be published on August 1 along with 3 other books in the series.

This is a great book for elementary school students. The layout of illustrations and text is accessible to a variety of readers. I enjoyed how the book highlights collaboration, and being who you are- whether that means making noises, having food allergies, or dressing how you want. It was fun to read about the students' ingenuity. The discussion questions and writing prompts will be helpful to teachers and parents alike.

A wonderful story about a kid just being who they are. The Queer rep is seamless and present in a way that students can easily understand. Looking forward to using some of the writing prompts in my own classroom next school year

This book is the perfect blend of kid-friendly and amazing storytelling. It inspires kids to be creative and artistic, and most importantly, to be themselves. This book is perfect for kids and everyone else too.

Riley is a creative non-binary fourth grader who loves to dress up and loves to help their friends find and build their perfect costumes. This is a sweet and inclusive story of making their costumes for book week at school.

This book was adorable. I read it to my kids (ages 7 and 10) and they both loved it. My 10 year old said he wants to read the other Riley books. (And then he immediately ran to tell his older sister about the book).

I really appreciated the beautiful mix of representation of many gender identities and people from various cultural backgrounds.

We also very much enjoyed that this book mentioned other books that we have read and love (my son’s favorite book is Prince and Knight!).

The discussion questions at the end of the book were an excellent touch. It gave us time to process the book together and think a bit deeper about our own feelings.

Riley Reynolds Crushes Costume Day was really meaningful to my kids. We are a Cosplay family and a family with several queer people. The fact that there is a book that celebrates costume making as well as other gender expressions and identities really brought a lot of joy to my kids.

Also the art was adorable.