Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Teen Tuesday and Arc Review: My Eyes are Up Here by Laura Zimmerman

Image: Penguin Random House*
My Eyes are Up Here by Laura Zimmerman. 344 p. Dutton Books/ Penguin Random House, June 23, 2020. 9781984815248. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Teen Tuesday features and wishes a happy book birthday to, My Eyes are Up Here by Laura Zimmerman. Fifteen-year-old Greer Walsh narrates this charming debut, which is at turns poignant and hilarious. Greer feels betrayed by her body, more specifically, her breasts, which have grown so large that she has named them - Mavis and Maude. She has also taken to wearing the baggiest clothes possible to cover them up and has zero interest in dating because boys tend to focus on Mavis and Maud exclusively. So she focuses on her grades and trying to find the perfect bra. She's pushed to try out for the volley ball team when she shows natural ability during a gym unit. She'd love to, but those uniforms are so skimpy! Then there's transfer student Jackson Oakes. She was tasked with showing him around by her mom, who is a corporate relocation expert. The two fall into easy banter and Greer finds herself thinking about him - a lot. 

There's some depth here, making My Eyes are Up Here more than a breezy romance. There are strong female friendships and strong female athletes who help Greer accept her body. This was a fun book with a reassuring body positive message featuring an appealing, whip-smart narrator. My Eyes are Up Here belongs in every middle, high school and public library collection. 

*There is an audiobook sample on the book's web page. 

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