Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee

Interest Level: 5-8

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: 4.2

For seventh-grader Mila, it starts with some boys giving her an unwanted hug on the school blacktop. A few days later, at recess, one of the boys (and fellow trumpet player) Callum tells Mila it’s his birthday, and asks her for a “birthday hug.” He’s just being friendly, isn’t he? And how can she say no? But Callum’s hug lasts a few seconds too long, and feels…weird. According to her friend, Zara, Mila is being immature and overreacting. Doesn’t she know what flirting looks like? But the boys don’t leave Mila alone. On the bus, in the halls and during band practice—the one place Mila could always escape. It doesn’t feel like flirting—so what is it? Thanks to a chance meeting, Mila begins to find solace in a new place: karate class. Slowly, with the help of a fellow classmate, Mila learns how to stand her ground and how to respect others—and herself.

For the first quarter of this book, I was furious. I couldn't believe that none of her friends were listening to Mila when she said that the boys in her class were making her uncomfortable. I was disappointed that Mila felt has had to do something big in order for someone to listen to what she was saying. That being said, this book is a must read. The plot assumes that the boys didn't know that what they were doing was sexual harassment. If that were the case then their parents and the school's curriculum had done these boys a disservice. I would have liked the author to have mentioned some kind of counseling for Mila. I am unsure what moved me to give this book 4 and not 5 stars, maybe it was the topic.