Just Happy to Be Here

Gr 7 Up–Kanakia’s novel shares the struggle of a trans teen just trying to be a girl at school, instead of “the trans girl.” Tara is finally at an all-girls school, after transitioning and leaving her all-boys school up the hill. She is slowly finding her people when a chance to join an exclusive club, the Sibyls, opens up. Tara loves everything the group stands for and finally feels like she truly fits somewhere. However, once her eligibility is questioned, everyone else starts fighting for her trans rights, but she never asked for that. In fact, the drama stemming from the situation leads to her anti-trans state government coming and questioning her. Can Tara balance this new attention while figuring out who her real friends are? Readers may find the cover confusing, as Tara does not mention having facial hair at any point in the book. Tara is a trans girl and person of color, and her friends also include a trans boy, a queer girl, and other people of color. The book’s exclusive club, the Sibyls, centers around ancient mythology; meaning in addition to various passages included, multiple characters have both a real name and an ancient nickname for the club. This content can be rather choppy and difficult to follow when weaved into the story. Otherwise, some of the main plot points feel reminiscent of If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo, which may draw fans, but ultimately the writing caliber falls short.