Fourth-grader Riley is a kid who loves lots of things: their parents, cousins, friends, all kinds of animals, making cool stuff (as well as messes), and being nonbinary. In this eighth volume of the early chapter book series by Jay Albee (a pen name for Jen Breach and J. Anthony), Riley wakes up one day and decides to clean off their shelves to make room for new arts and craft supplies, books, games, and more. Their parents decide it’s also time for them to do some spring cleaning and to hold a stoop sale. Soon, the whole neighborhood joins in, including Riley’s best friends, Lea and Cricket. Lea has a hard time letting some of her old things go, but Riley comes up with an idea to help her hold on to the memories. Everyone makes some sales but also finds some new treasures.
There’s little suspense or dramatic tension in this book, just cheerful, slice-of-life scenes, with gentle lessons about community and cooperation. Riley’s kind, creative, social personality shines throughout. Unlike many queer characters in children’s fiction, they’re not a loner trying to make friends or break into a popular crowd—they’re in the center of the social action, having fun but also helping others to feel included. There’s enormous value in that and in seeing a nonbinary child unconditionally accepted by family and friends.
Backmatter and More
Although it is a chapter book, not a picture book, comic-style illustrations at the chapter ends reflect the action of the story. Riley is biracial, with a Mexican mom and a White dad. As with every book in the series, this one starts with two graphic-format pages titled “I’m Riley,” in which Riley introduces themself, and two pages in which “Mx. Aude Teaches Helpful Terms,” giving definitions related to gender and queer identities. The latter might have worked better as backmatter, rather than slowing down the story with a pedagogical interruption (especially for those who have read other volumes in the series, with identical information), but this is good information to have nonetheless. Other than on those pages, however, gender identity is never mentioned, and Riley’s nonbinary identity is completely incidental to the story.
Actual backmatter includes discussion questions and writing prompts.
