I really loved this follow up to Growing Pangs. It was cute and fun, but also very realistic and didn't offer easy solutions to friends moving away, dealing with religious homophobia while coming to understanding your own sexuality, or realizing sometimes friends turn on you and you never get an explanation why. It felt very true to real life in that people often experience a situation and never get to confront an antagonist or have everything neatly solved, they just move forward with the new knowledge. It's one of the things I like best about this book and the first. It also made reference to being in therapy to get a better handle on OCD symptoms.

This surprisingly was one of the few areas I felt a bit let down. The first book, Growing Pangs, did a phenomenal job of depicting OCD compulsions and the "buzzing thoughts" but it took a major backseat in this one. We're told at the beginning that the thoughts had quieted down some recently but weren't gone, so I did think it made sense we weren't seeing them at first. But when things start becoming difficult we don't really see the resurgence depicted either despite the narrative asserting there is one. We're told "the thoughts are getting loud" and see one instance of a compulsion followed by a mention to the therapist that the thoughts had gotten worse again, but that's pretty much it. It felt very tell, not show this time around.

I loved how we saw the crush develop and the way friends become pen pals and the importance of having community spaces where you feel you can be yourself. I'd definitely enjoy another installment if one ever comes along.

In this sequel we follow Katie at the end of her sixth grade summer and the start of seventh grade. Set in the early 2000"s we see how Katie handles bullies, friends moving away, her OCD, and getting her period to name a few things. The focus of this novel really is Katie realizing that she might not just have crushes on boys but also on girls. This is very distressing for Katie because she is heavily involved in church life. Her church teaches that queerness is a sin, purity is necessary, and modesty is to be taken seriously. While I cannot personally speak to all the things Katie experiences in this book, I can say the author did an amazing job at conveying what it was like growing up in the purity culture of the 2000's painfully accurately. This graphic novel handles all of these situations with the right balance of seriousness and humor. It pulled at my heart strings for sure. While the book doesn't wrap everything up in a pretty bow (because life doesn't work like that anyway), it ends on a beautifully hopeful note of what the future could hold for Katie.

The author's note at both the beginning and end of the story also do a wonderful job of explaining her experiences and what she hopes the reader will take away from Katie's story.

As an aside, if the reader does not have the experience of being raised in what would be described as a, traditional conservative American christian church environment, they might struggle to connect with some of the content. That is because that particular upbringing is what fosters Katie distress and response of her discovering more about herself.


Thank you Net Galley and Random House Children's for early access in exchange for an honest review.

A quick read tackling a tough topic! Watching Katie wrestle with the realization of her queerness was very true to life. A great book to give to kids of all identities - windows and mirrors!

I loved Growing Pangs, so I was thrilled to see that Kathryn Ormsbee was returning to Katie's universe with "Turning Twelve." I think Turning Twelve will be powerful for certain audiences, but as someone who identifies as non-religious, many of the parts of the book that dealt with the double standards and casual sexism that Katie faced at church as well as the messages of the "evils" of same-sex marriage did not resonate with me. I do not doubt that this story will be so important and so affirming for some of my students, but I don't think it will have the same universal appeal to our library of readers as "Growing Pangs" did. I am so thankful that Random House Children's is publishing middle-grade literature that will push families and communities to have critical conversations around feminism, sexism, and same-sex marriage. It would be easy in the current political climate to shy away from these topics, but it is more important now than it ever has been for quality literature to make its way into the hands of our kids!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I don't love the art style of this series, which I think is why I never picked up Growing Pangs, but Turning Twelve was a very pleasant surprise. This will satisfy my fourth- and fifth-grade patrons who hunger for tales of first periods and first crushes. Any current or former theater kid will definitely see themselves in this story. Adding this to my pre-order list for the fall!

Many thanks to the creators, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

In this sequel to Growing Pangs, Katie is dealing with the fact that her two best friends have to go visit a sick relative for a long time, and she has to go to her church group by herself, where she doesn't feel very comfortable. She does have a job babysitting, which is a challenge she enjoys. She also likes going to the local theater group, where she tries out for the lead role in ANNIE. She doesn't get it, but makes friends with Grace. Katie is not a fan of all of the trappings of puberty, especially when talk at church turns rather sexist and judgemental about girls and women, and especially about the "evils" of same sex relationships. Since she starts to recognize that her feelings for Grace are more of a crush, what does this mean?

This is a good choice for readers who like the tween angst in graphic novels like Miller's Curlfriends, Hale's Best Friends, Johnson's Twins, Gros' Jo, or Knisley's Stepping Stones. It's similar to Dee's Star Crossed, but set in the 1990s.

This graphic novel captures well the pre-teen years of changing bodies, friendships, and crushes, while also trying to stay true to yourself.

Katie is turning 12 and that means lots of changes! Dealing with a crush, friends moving away, baby-sitting. Just a lovely follow up to the first in the series. Perfect for fans of Kayla Miller and Raina Telgemeier!

I loved “Growing Pains” and was happy to see a sequel. Characters are just as great and the story rings so true. Trying to navigate “fitting in” with “being true to yourself” is painful in middle school and seeing the cracks in the world you’re growing up in is terribly confusing. This book offers honesty and reassurance for those who empathize with Katie.