In this middle-grade novel, Lo's best friend, Jazz, is ditching her for the popular crowd, makeup and boys. But when Lo finds new friends who share her love of comics and Doctor Who, she discovers her voice-and the confidence to speak up for what's right.
Who would ditch cosplay and Doctor Who for bras and boys?
In this funny yet moving coming-of-age novel, a girl finds comfort, and eventually her voice, by writing letters to The Doctor from her favorite TV show, Doctor Who.
Lo and Jazz have been best friends ever since Jazz defended her when Bobby Zucker called her a horse face in second grade. But lately Jazz has seemed more interested in bikinis, boys and bras (ugh), and Lo is still perfectly happy with her comic books and Doctor Who. When Jazz ditches Lo for the It Girls, Lo feels completely adrift...until she overhears someone talking about the latest FanCon. There are others like her!
With help from her new friends, and taking a cue from the Doctor (in whom she confides by writing letters), Lo begins to find her voice. Between giving Bobby Zucker a wedgie for harassing the It Girls, to bringing an abrupt end to spin-the-bottle at a party, to speaking up to the principal and demanding period supplies in student bathrooms, Lo finds her inner activist and the self-confidence that comes with growing up-on her own terms.
Key Selling Points
• Lo's best friend is leaving her behind for makeup, boys, and bras, while Lo wants to stick to her comics and Doctor Who; luckily, she finds some new friends who support her as she is and help her find her voice as an advocate and activist.
• Lo Simpson Starts a Revolution takes on the adolescent experiences of growing apart in a friendship, finding new friends, allowing yourself the space to grow up at your own pace and having the strength to stand up for what's right, even when the issue doesn't directly affect you.
• From a more political perspective, this book explores gender equality, consent and menstrual hygiene rights, as Lo finds herself confronted with these issues in her middle-school milieu.
• Author Melanie Florence is a huge Doctor Who fan (she has a Doctor Who tattoo!), which inspired her to write Lo as one too; Lo pens letters to the Tenth Doctor throughout the book and uses his brave acts and words of wisdom for inspiration.
• Melanie Florence is the author of such books as Stolen Words (which won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Book Award), Missing Nimâmâ (which won the TD Canadian Children's Book Award) and The Missing.
