North of Tomboy

A Novel

Julie A. Swanson

• Publisher: SparkPress
• eBook ISBN:
  9781684633319
• Year: 2025

For fans of Kacen Callender, Lin Thompson, and Kyle Lukoff, comes a middle grade novel set in 1973 about a child who feels more boy than girl and is frustrated that people act blind to that when—except for her stupid hair and clothes—it should be obvious!

Shy fourth grader Jess Jezowski turns the tables on her mom when she’s given yet another girly baby doll for Christmas. This time, instead of ignoring or destroying it, she transforms it into the boy she’s always wanted to be—a brave, funny little guy named Mickey. Making him talk, Jess finally lets the boy in her express himself.

But when Mickey evolves to become something more like an alter ego whose voice drowns out her own and the secret of him escapes the safety of her family, Jess realizes Mickey’s too limited and doesn’t allow the boy part of her a big enough presence in the world. She must find a way to blend him into her—so she can be that side of herself anywhere, around anyone.

Jess tries to wean herself from the crutch of Mickey’s loud, comical persona, and to get her family to forget about him, but she struggles to do both. What will it take for her to stop hiding behind Mickey and get people to see her for who she truly is? Based on the author’s experience growing up on Michigan’s rural Leelanau Peninsula in the ’70s, North of Tomboyincludes artwork throughout.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Mishmash Me, Jessica Jezowski
• 1—Vampire Boy, Zombie Girl
• 2—If I Die Before I Wake
• 3—Kissing Cousins
• 4—Big Box
• 5—Clothes Make the Man
• 6—Candle Queen
• 7—Tumbling Into the New Year
• 8—Back to School, and the Rule
• 9—Cluster Three
• 10—Fizzing Over
• 11—Monkey in the Middle
• 12—Whistle While You Work
• 13—Nothing to Cry About
• 14—No-good Troublemaker
• 15—Million-dollar Question
• 16—Gramma
• 17—Perry-the-canary
• 18—Fickle Friends
• 19—Bad Friday
• 20—Door War
• 21—Mr. Puberty
• 22—Life as a River
• 23—Mother’s Day
• 24—Wizard of Ourz
• 25—Birthday Surprise
• 26—Bloodsuckers
• 27—Mystifying Oracles
• 28—Still Waters
• 29—On My Own
• 30—Winning Matt Over
• 31—Workin’ It
• 32—Paying the Price
• 33—Mood Killer(S)
• 34—Thistle Park
• 35—Dolled Up
• 36—Wild Child
• 37—Elephant Tree
• 38—Cracked Slate
• 39—The Horizon
• 40—Gravel Pit, Last Straw
• 41—Ungrateful, Selfish Coward?
• 42—Pants on Fire
• 43—Spitball
• 44—Man Enough
• 45—Black X
• 46—Fifth-grade Porta-potty
• 47—The Poop Hits the Fan
• 48—Danger: Explosive, Highly Flammable
• 49—Nipping It
• 50—Priming Us for the Big Match
• 51—First Chink
• 52—Whoops
• 53—V-i-c-t-o-r-y
• 54—Battle of the Sexes
• 55—For All the World to See
• 56—Mickey in the Mirror
• 57—Roxi’s Wedding
• 58—Golden Moment
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Looking for your next great read?