Max is fine with her face, but aged about 8 or 9, her teeth decided to change direction and pretty much do what they want. This has resulted in braces and even worse, having to wear headgear to try and prevent surgery. Her jaws do not sit where they should and her orthodontist hopes the headgear nicknamed the ‘Jawbreaker’ will help the problem.

From Max’s point of view, the biggest problem is that this headgear is to be worn several hours a day, is soon even more painful than the tightening of her braces, and makes her drool even more than before. What Max foresees is that the daily bullying about her teeth will become even worse.

It started with two kids on the school bus. “Bucky Beaver”, “Train wreck face”, and “Horse face” are just a few of the names they throw at Max, and to make things even worse, her younger sister Alexis is right there with them, with the name calling. This ensures that the bullying follows Max from home to school and back again.

Max’s parents don’t notice Alexis being the attacker, only that their daughters are squabbling again, and they blame them both. Tensions are high in the home because money is tight, Dad works nights and Mum during the day. Their once calm and happy family is beginning to fall apart, making Max’s only real escape her best friend’s house, especially on Fridays.

When that changes too, and her best friend becomes distant, Max tries to focus on something else she enjoys – working on the school newspaper. An aspiring journalist, Max looks up to Jordan Slade, a TV news star. Jordan has established the ‘Channel 5 Rising Star Journalist Competition’, just the thing Max would normally jump at. But this time it isn’t a written project, that Max knows she could do well in, but a video report. Max isn’t sure she wants her “Train wreck, bucky beaver, horse face,” out in the public eye.

As she tries to deal with the bullying, ignore her parent’s arguing, beer breath and chain smoking, and try and reconnect with her best friend, she begins to contemplate entering the competition. Little does she know that everything she is going through might just be the thing she needs to compile a video report to be proud of.

Braces are a normal thing in children’s lives, and unfortunately, so is bullying. Put the two together, add money struggles and tension between parents and you have a perfect storm of trouble. Drawing on her own experiences, author Christina Wyman has written it just how it is. Endless bullying, name calling and shaming, which culminates in a showdown both at home and school. Parents who are too busy just trying to pay bills and live from day to day to see what’s happening between their daughters, and friendships suffering due to unspoken problems.

Max is a believable authentic character to root for in all that she is dealing with. There are other layers to this award winning middle-grade read however. A character is dealing with divorce, another with an extremely strict parent, and the bullies are proven to be products of their own parents.

But the over arching answer to it all is that all of these troubles are not forever. Things can be worked through and the way to do this is through communication. Between parents and children, between principals and students, between siblings and between friends.

I was lucky enough to meet the author at a ABA / RISE Children’s Bookseller’s Convention in Milwaukee USA in 2023. Coming from NZ on a RISE Scholarship, I was in awe the entire week at the passion of booksellers from all over the US, and at the plethora of books available for readers.

The cover of Jawbreaker grabbed me straight away, and I’m glad it is now available in Aotearoa New Zealand too.

A Great Read!

Author – Christina Wyman

Age – 9+

Winner Judy Lopez Award

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
An ABA Best Book for Young Readers of the Year

(2023, St Martins Press, School, Sibling Rivalry, Family, Revenge, Friendship, Poverty, Humour, Growing up, Betrayal, Sisters, Competition, Bullying, Braces, Orthodontist, Dental, Teeth, Jaw Surgery, Fighting Parents, Divorce, Identity, Image, Fitting in, Journalism competition, Bullies)