NOELLE

A girl navigates new feelings and family strife that help her decide who she wants to be.

The Flyy Girls return with a focus on Noelle Lee, their mean-girl leader, who is biracial (Chinese and Black). Noelle may not always show it, but she cares deeply about her family, friends, and music—she’s a serious cello player. In the midst of navigating growing feelings for fellow Flyy Girl Tobyn that lead her to question her sexuality, Noelle faces another challenge when her father loses his job. Feeling pressure to contribute to their household so that her parents can still pay the bills and send money to her grandmother in Martinique, she takes up extra shifts at her grandparent’s Chinese restaurant. With the added stress, Noelle finds the arduous tasks of balancing her preparations for the Augusta Savage School of Arts’ fall showcase, planning the group’s senior prank, and preventing her little brother from being bullied that much more difficult. It becomes clear that Noelle needs to make some changes before she loses those closest to her. Through her accessible text and transparent themes, Woodfolk immerses teens of all backgrounds—whether reluctant readers or not—in Noelle’s story. Her ability to create evocative characters shines through as readers dive deeper into the novel. Though briskly paced and concisely told, it effectively conveys and resolves Noelle’s dilemmas.

A dramatic and lovable addition to the series.