Jackson Bright in the spotlight

After Jackson, who reads as white, wears a pink-and-white polka-dot dress to school, the blowback he receives from ill-intentioned teacher Miss Felton motivates the 12-year-old to crank up the dial on his fabulous meter. With encouragement from his nonbinary Filipino American BFF Eva, Jackson enters the regional Our Little Miss pageant using his newly established "secret drag queen" persona, Sissy St. James. Joined by Jackson's movie makeup artist uncle Aaron, Eva draws from their shared love of musical theater and famous drag performers to help Jackson polish his look and practice his talent. Jackson's cover is jeopardized, however, when he learns that his crush's twin sister will also be competing, and that Miss Felton is one of the adults in charge of running the pageant. In this touching debut by RuPaul's Drag Race competitor O'Hara, in collaboration with Poblocki (More Tales to Keep You Up at Night), giggle-inducing fart jokes keep things light, even as Jackson navigates serious conversations about depression, homophobia, and the difficulties--and eventual pleasures--of being oneself. Bessa's animated illustrations highlight Jackson's effervescent personality. Ages 10--14. (Oct.)

A tween boy embraces the philosophy of dressing for joy. When Jackson Bright, a large-built, white-presenting boy, wears a borrowed pink-and-white polka-dot dress to the last day of sixth grade, he inadvertently ends up butting heads with a teacher. Miss Felton weaponizes her fear of bullying against students who don't conform to her beliefs and disingenuously claims that she's sending Jackson home to protect him. This sets Jackson and his best friend, nonbinary Filipino American Eva Caringal, on a path that leads to his entering the regional Our Little Miss pageant in his newly created drag persona, Sissy St. James. With help from Uncle Aaron, a burly man who looks "like a lumberjack, but, like, if lumberjacks lovedVogue magazine," Sissy is accepted into the pageant. But how can a brand-new drag queen (even one as fabulous as Jackson/Sissy) hope to navigate a pageant, let alone life? Co-authors O'Hara (who appeared onRuPaul's Drag Race) and Poblocki excel at creating nuanced character development, which both solo readers and book clubs will appreciate. The close third-person narration follows Jackson, capturing the exuberance and insecurity of the tween years and presenting an authentic protagonist whom readers will cheer on. The supporting cast and their various subplots are equally well-developed, including Jackson's father's depression, Eva's turbulent home life, and Jackson's budding friendship with fellow pageant contestant Ciara Williams, who reads Black. Bessa's occasional illustrations provide added interest. A fierce and fabulous read!(Fiction. 10-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.