Friday Memes: Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker. 314 p. Viking/ Penguin Young Readers Group, May 21, 2019. 9780451479402. 

Publisher synopsis: The critically acclaimed author of Felix Yz crafts a bold, heartfelt story about a trans girl solving a cyber mystery and coming into her own.

Zenobia July is starting a new life. She used to live in Arizona with her father; now she's in Maine with her aunts. She used to spend most of her time behind a computer screen, improving her impressive coding and hacking skills; now she's coming out of her shell and discovering a community of friends at Monarch Middle School. People used to tell her she was a boy; now she's able to live openly as the girl she always knew she was.

When someone anonymously posts hateful memes on her school's website, Zenobia knows she's the one with the abilities to solve the mystery, all while wrestling with the challenges of a new school, a new family, and coming to grips with presenting her true gender for the first time. Timely and touching, Zenobia July is, at its heart, a story about finding home.

First Line: She had that new kid look. Anyone paying attention could have seen it. In the flinchiness of her shoulders. In the way her eyes skittered from fact to face as the other students streamed past.

Page 56: 
     "I hate all my clothes! You don't know anything about shopping!"
     "That's true. You're right about that."
    Zen scowled. Aunt Phil never said what Zen thought she was going to say. It flummoxed her utterly. She flailed her hands and said, "Oh, leave me alone. I'm going to my room."
     "Door's open. " Zen turned away. "But, one other thing." Zen turned back unwillingly. "We're in for a treat. Were going to have company for dinner."

I really enjoyed the author's debut, Felix Yz. I started this last night and almost stayed up all night to swallow it whole.