ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Bagley, Jessixa

Dear Jackie

288 pp. | Simon | September, 2025 | Trade ISBN 9781534496583 $24.99
(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Aaron Bagley. This graphic novel opens with a dramatic flash-forward scene making clear something is going to go very wrong in Jackie’s sixth-grade year. We then go back to the start of the school year: Jackie is hanging out with sensitive boy-next-door friend Milo and dreading the return of sometimes-judgy classmate Adelle, who is “just so, I don’t know. Pink!” As pressure increases from parents and peers to dress more like other girls, Jackie begins expressing her feelings in letters to herself on older sibling Jabari’s typewriter—and soon those give way to faked letters from an imaginary secret admirer. Meanwhile, scenes focusing on Milo highlight the newfound awkwardness of their friendship, as others now expect that it must be romantic. The story captures the out-of-place feelings many middle schoolers experience, along with strong emotions that can lead to impulsiveness; Jackie doesn’t exactly plan ahead in her epistolary deceptions, but her motivation—she thought peers “might finally accept me if someone liked me”—is believable. Characters’ gender expectations become more nuanced as the story progresses; Jabari’s identity arc adds another dimension, and their advice helps Jackie see Adelle in a new light. Dynamically varied panel layouts keep pages turning; the digital illustrations’ palette is largely pastel, with shocks of pink contrasting with Jackie’s beloved gray hoodie. An author’s note touches on Bagley’s own middle-school experiences.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2026

RELATED 

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Speak Up, Santiago!
by Anta, Julio
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

The Tontine Caper
by Salerni, Dianne K.
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Candle Island
by Wolk, Lauren
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

The Unlikely Heroes Club
by Foster, Kate
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Queenie in Seven Moves
by Louise, Zanni
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?