Lux: The New Girl

July 1, 2020
Grades 7-10 It's hardly Lux's fault she's gotten into so many fights after her dad up and left her and her mom one day. But this time, her punishment is moving from her comfy Brooklyn walk-up with her mom and in with her dad and his new family in a gentrified New York City high rise. Determined to leave her troubled past behind, Lux is accepted into the Augusta Savage School of the Arts, and she has some strict rules for herself: Make good friends and make sure no one knows about her fighting. So when Lux meets Micah, Noelle, and Tobyn?aka the Flyy Girls?she's convinced that these are the friends for her. That is, until Noelle confronts her with a video of a fight she'd gotten into. The first in the Flyy Girls series, Woodfolk's latest offers a heart-wrenching story of redemption and renewal. Lux's determination to grow in spite of wrongdoing toward her is inspiring, and her friendship with the Flyy Girls only sparks excitement and curiosity around how the series will continue to unfold.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

August 1, 2020

Gr 6 Up-A rocky intro to a hi-lo series with potential. High-school junior Lux Lawson is in a downward spiral. Since her dad left a year and a half ago, she's been kicked out of multiple schools for fighting and has isolated herself from her friends. Her passion for photography is her only comfort. When she's kicked out of yet another school, her mom sends her to live with her father, his new wife, and their baby. They pull strings to get her admittance to an arts school, where she begins to make new friends and gain acceptance. But when videos of her last fight surface, Lux's new life is in danger of falling apart. For a short hi-lo book, this novel attempts to cover a lot of ground. The beginning is awkward because rather than experiencing Lux's emotions with her, the narration tells the reader all of her backstory at once and how it makes her feel. The story picks up once Lux begins attending her new school, and the scene where she confronts her father is gripping. While Lux is a high school student who is prone to fighting, there isn't any explicitly violent content, so this story would be appropriate for a wide age range. VERDICT An additional purchase where hi-lo novels are needed.-Jeri Murphy, C.F. Simmons M.S., Aurora, IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2020
A 16-year-old Brooklyn girl struggles to get a fresh start. Lux Lawson has had a hard year--her father left for another family 10 months ago, leaving her feeling unworthy, and she's on thin ice with her mother after two expulsions. This is why, after she loses it on Simone, a girl who's harassed her since she arrived at the third school in a year, she knows she'll be living with her father and his new family. Faced with no choice, Lux arrives at her father's swanky apartment knowing she must make the best of this situation if she wants to avoid military school. Lux devises a plan, starting with her acceptance into the Augusta Savage School of Arts in Harlem, where she can hone her photography skills. Lux just needs to stick to her father's strict demands, stay out of trouble at school, get in with the Flyy Girls--known for being popular, low-profile pranksters--and keep her mistakes from haunting her to get what she wants. In this short, accessible volume, Woodfolk creates an authentic cast of characters that reluctant readers will engage with from the opening scene. Short chapters and clearly written prose make this first-person narrative a brisk read, and the ending leaves readers thirsting for more. Lux and the rest of the cast are predominately black. A lively series opener. (Fiction. 14-18)

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