Just Jaime gives us a look inside the minds of the children who do awful things to each other, and it shows us why they might do those things (especially as part of groups) and why they might struggle to leave those groups (even when it seems to us like the obvious solution).

Many of us struggle to figure out how children and teenagers can be so cruel to each other, whether peers or even friends.

I love Just Jaime for so many reasons! One is that it tackles an exceedingly difficult subject matter with plenty of thought and insight. When something happens that severely endangers Jaime's position in the group and friendship with Maya, both Jaime and Maya are faced with tough decisions about the people they care about and the ways they want to feel and be perceived. (These students include characters from previous books in the series, such as Emmie and Brianna, making for an interesting tie-in to the previous books.) Eventually, Celia, Grace, and even Maya begin to turn on Jaime, who they feel still acts too childish they judge her for not yet liking boys, wearing certain kinds of outfits, etc. Celia is one of the most popular kids in school, and she leads her friends in making rude comments about other students behind their backs. Jaime and Maya are best friends, and they and another girl, Grace, are part of a friend group 'led' by a girl named Celia. Libenson has her finger firmly on the pulse of today’s middle school student, and that comes through with every character the reader meets and every conversation the characters have in these wonderful books.Just Jaime, like all of the books in the 'Emmie & Friends' series, switches between the viewpoints of two characters: Jaime (whose story is told in prose with frequent illustrations) and Maya (whose story is told in comic-book-style panels). This one is told in two voices - those of Maya and Jaime - and it’s wonderful to see the story from their different points of view. But it’s what comes after that is the most interesting, a good example of the “drama soup” that is middle school.Īuthor and illustrator Terri Libenson has a terrific franchise going with her middle school graphic novels. Celia, who has become the boss of the group that includes Jaime, Maya, and Gracie, has decided Jaime isn’t mature enough to be part of the group anymore, and since Maya has been friends with her forever, Celia makes Maya do the dirty work.

Maya and Jaime had been best, best friends from kindergarten until now - the last day of seventh grade - but something has gone terribly wrong, and Jaime can’t figure out what it is. Middle school is complicated, but middle school friendships are incredibly complicated.

Just jaime