"Dear weird toes / crooked nose, / stressed out, left out / freaked out / … / This party's for you." Welcome to Bridger Middle School, home of the titular Pity Party. This grab bag of vignettes condenses a world of early adolescent anxieties and excitements into a single volume progressing at whirlwind pace. With the exception of the arc story entitled "The Voice," each vignette introduces a new protagonist and problem. Here the mundane collides with the fantastical, real-world pathologies and privations made light of through magical realism and a healthy dose of Gen-Z hyperbole. An ill-treated loner wishes everyone who's ever been unkind to her might feel what it is to be ugly--to disastrous effect; a thrift-store mood ring that never lies pushes a closeted gay boy to be true to himself. OCD spirals in the subway and harmful self-talk exist comfortably alongside a human chair, literal death by embarrassment (farting in class, oh, the humanity!), and social media followers dogging one's every step. Not all segments resonate; the sickeningly saccharine Happy Head and Happy Friends ad spots and a too-blasé letter from the Department of Insecurity come off as a bit too self-aware while the simple, unapologetic absurdity of the "choose your own catastrophe" misadventures invariably draw laughter but don't quite fit with the rest of the story--though perhaps that's the point. Swaab's illustrations offer suitably ironic visuals. An artful, amusingly quirky tour of middle school angst. (Fiction. 11-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Katya is a nervous middle schooler whose fertile imagination defaults to disaster. The voice in her head warns of poisoned Halloween candy, looming social ostracism, imminent acne, and rabid raccoons. In six short entries we cheer her on as she breaks free of her fears and banishes the voice. Interleaved with this unifying story are portraits of Katya's classmates at Bridger Middle School: Julian with his phobia about odd numbers, Kiera with her imposter syndrome, Gio who gets a new personality delivered in a box, Alice who feels so invisible she fears she's a ghost. The tone shifts from naturalistic to surreal, jokey to strange, goofy to mordant, poetic to unabashedly therapeutic. Added to the mix are a recurring faux-interactive "Choose Your Own Catastrophe" game; teen-magazine-style quizzes; the minimalist saga of Marta, who wished for a different life and gets stuck being a tree; an invitation to a gathering for Elena, who died of embarrassment. All the varied moods and textures of these pieces come together into an original, convincing, spot-on, and weirdly moving collage portrait of middle-school-age insecurities, anxieties, awkwardness, and interpersonal dynamics. Sarah Ellis January/February 2021 p.107(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 3--7--This party starts with a "cordial invitation" in verse to all those who don't quite fit in. The invitation sets the tone for the rest of book, which is a collection of tangentially connected stories interspersed with witty quizzes, advertisements, and choose-your-own-path prompts. The stories follow different students at Bridger Middle School. They are, on the whole, a diverse student body and include a student who uses they/them pronouns, a student whose family lives in a converted school bus, and a student with an unnamed anxiety disorder. Lane weaves elements of magical realism throughout many of her stories. One standout is "True Story," which follows Caleb, who is able to stand up to his bullies with help from a magical mood ring from a thrift store. Another standout is "Behaviorally Challenged," in which Lexi and Tashi stand up to the Plus, a new system where students are sorted into four different groups based on their personality and are forced to spend their recreational time at school with only the students in their group. The various format interludes are another highlight of this unique text. These include a letter from The Department of Insecurity, the Chart of Relative Calamity, and more. Lane has written a heartfelt and relatable book filled with moments of darkness and humor, plus a little magic. VERDICT Perfect for anyone who has ever felt out of place in a social situation. Hand to fans of Jason Reynolds's Look Both Ways. A first purchase for all libraries serving middle schoolers.--Katharine Gatcomb, Portsmouth P.L., NH

Social media followers who become literal followers in real life. A "choose your own catastrophe" story about being stuck in a pit. A voice that tells a young person that they are never good enough. A mood ring that tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Pity Party is a patchwork of short fiction that touches on the seemingly endless anxieties that plague young people today. Some pieces are funny, others a bit twisted, but all of them work to recognize the myriad experiences of young people trying to conform to, or push back against, societal pressures to be attractive, popular, and perfect. The concept of the collection is unique and intriguing, though the execution leaves the overall collection feeling somewhat chaotic. Because of the variety of topics covered, however, the book has something for almost every young person to connect with. Through Pity Party, Lane (The Best Worst Thing, 2016) encourages readers to engage in conversation, self-reflection, and ultimately empathy toward anyone experiencing issues around mental health.

Introducing a cast of tween characters experiencing insecurities and growing pains, this welcoming, often ironic collection of short stories reflects on the pity party that is middle school. In "Odd," Julian's aversion to odd numbers results in trouble with stairs. Cora's wish that mean people would break out in spots has unexpected results in "Ugly Duck." And in "Gio X," a boy receives a mysterious package that might have the power to "upgrade" his friendless existence. The book contains stories that start and stop, only to be continued later; ads from "our sponsor"; a personality quiz; a "Choose Your Own Catastrophe" story; and a literal invitation to the pity party ("Dear missing parts, broken hearts/ picked on, passed up/ misunderstood/ sitting alone"). This eclectic volume good-naturedly explores common tween experiences, though the mixing of stories about garden-variety social anxieties and diagnosable disorders creates a false equivalence, and "Odd" may prove triggering for readers with OCD. In stories that largely follow the same formula--conflict is introduced, a Twilight Zone--like twist changes characters' perspectives--Lane (The Best Worst Thing) offers a captivating distraction from self-pity, and creative variations and varied genre inclusions will keep readers' attention. Ages 8--12. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Literary. (Jan.)