My Crunchy Life is a young adult, romantic coming of age novel written by Mia Kerick. Kale Oswald took his hippie identity quite seriously. He had given up the meat feasts his father delighted in cooking for the family in favor of kale, peanut butter and granola, and had begun the arduous and intensive practice of growing dreadlocks. Realizing that hippies needed worthy causes to promote, Kale decided to stop by the next meeting of the Rights for Every Human Organization. He felt somewhat strange listening to the group leader discussing love and selflessness and was tempted to roll his eyes when she asked all there to join hands. Each member introduced him or herself to Kale, and as Kale was laboriously working through his own introduction, his eyes were drawn to the latecomer who was somewhat elaborately posed on the stairs. Something about Julian Mendez attracted and repelled Kale, and he couldn’t figure out the why or the wherefore of it.

Julian had tried to kill himself some months before, and had it not been for the prompt actions of a delivery man, he would have succeeded. The result of his attempt was for him to finally admit to his mom that he was a girl -- not a boy -- and to share with her his growing horror of puberty and the masculine changes that were taking place in his body. His mom was caring and supportive and the two of them were navigating the maze of medical care for transgendered youth. The puberty suppression drugs had given him time to get the counseling and medical testing necessary before embarking on hormone replacement therapy. He found two “volunteer” friends who’d walk him to classes to discourage the haters from attacking him. Dr. Evelyn had suggested that becoming a part of REHO would be a good fit for him to do his own volunteer work and to become socially aware and active.

Mia Kerick’s romantic coming of age novel for young adults, My Crunchy Life, is a sensitive and sweet story about love that transcends gender. I read this book quite slowly because I wanted to get every little bit out of the story. There’s so much in it. We see the struggles a transgender teen faces not only in coming out to family and friends, but in dealing with the random bullies and tormentors in school. Kale’s reactions are particularly of interest as he first tries to deal with the possibility that he is gay, based on his growing attraction to Julian, and then we witness his complete confusion when he meets Julia for the first time. Kerick’s characters shine and they do so most brilliantly. I soon felt as though I had known Kale, Hughie, Julia, Anna and Kandy for years. Kerick’s plot is marvelously crafted, and the romance is as sweet and awesome as first love should be. My Crunchy Life is an extraordinarily good read. It’s most highly recommended.

My Crunchy Life is a dramatic tale of friendship and bullying written by Mia Kerick. Julian Mendez and Kale Oswald both attend Crestdale High School which has a strict No Bullying policy. Regardless, a transgender teenager, who had survived a suicide attempt, crosses paths with a student who feels born into the wrong body. Both are bullying victims of Sydney Harper – a student who has her eye on the prize of school valedictorian, and who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Sydney’s methods of obtaining the title are both sinister and cruel, but help forge an unlikely friendship between Julian and Kale, which not only unifies them in solidarity against Sydney’s spite and hatred, but also brings an end to the constant pain of two tortured lives.

This is one of the most powerful books I have ever read with such a strong anti-bullying message. Mia Kerick’s tale bears an uncanny resemblance to a film titled The Breakfast Club, with complete outcasts finding each other through their strengths, weaknesses and similarities. What is ironic is that the bully in My Crunchy Life does her best to utterly destroy two lives, but ends up strengthening them instead, even empowering them against her attacks both in person and on social media. I shed many tears while reading the story of Julian and Kale, as it mirrored my own childhood on many levels. My Crunchy Life puts a human face on what bullying and being different is all about. I absolutely love the message behind the story, and am reading it now for a second time. I wholeheartedly recommend My Crunchy Life to readers over the age of 12 years who are coming into their own identity, while questioning whether being themselves is worth the pain and effort. I will be seeking out Mia Kerick’s books in the future as top quality books like My Crunchy Life are such a rarity these days.