{"product_id":"when-youre-brave-enough-9780593695135","title":"When You're Brave Enough","description":"\u003cb\u003eA heartfelt, gorgeously written debut middle grade novel about best friends, first crushes, and coming out--perfect for fans of Kyle Lukoff and Jake Maia Arlow.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBefore she moved from Austin to Rhode Island, everybody knew Lacey as one half of an inseparable duo: Lacey-and-Grace, best friends since they were toddlers. Grace and her moms were practically family. But at school, being lumped together with overeager, worm-obsessed, crushes-on-everyone Grace meant Lacey never quite fit in--and that's why at her new middle school, Lacey plans to reinvent herself. This time, she's going to be cool. She's going to be normal. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt first, everything seems to go as planned. Lacey makes new friends right away, she finds a rabbi to help her prepare for the bat mitzvah that got deprioritized by her parents in the chaos of the move, and she even gets cast in the lead role of the eighth-grade musical. Which is when things start to get stressful, because it turns out the students at her new school have a long-standing, unofficial tradition: No matter what the show is, in the final performance, the leads always kiss for real. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLacey's never kissed anyone before--she's not even sure she's ever had a crush. And in \u003ci\u003eBye, Bye, Birdie\u003c\/i\u003e, there are a few different co-lead kiss possibilities for Lacey to choose from. There's confident, cocky Andre. There's sweet, friendly Jaden. And then there's the other new girl at school: dryly funny, impossibly cool Violet. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut while her new friends and older sister create whiteboard wall charts and botched field trip schemes to help her decide, suddenly Lacey can't stop thinking about Grace, who she was so sure she wanted to leave behind. When Grace comes back into her life, Lacey needs to decide if she's brave enough to be who she really is, in front of the person who matters most.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Rebecca Bendheim\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Viking Books for Young Readers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/07\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.85lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.30h x 5.60w x 1.30d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780593695135\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAudience:\u003c\/b\u003e Ages 9-12\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/20\/2026 pg. 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/02\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBulletin of Ctr for Child Bks\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRebecca Bendheim\u003c\/b\u003e is a middle school teacher, poet, and graduate of Vanderbilt and VCFA's MFA program in writing for children and young adults, where she wrote her critical thesis on queer middle grade and was mentored by Corey Ann Haydu. She has performed her poetry at Lambda Litfest, on NPR, and as a member of Austin's Typewriter Rodeo poetry troupe. Rebecca can be found on social media @RebeccaBendheim.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Rebecca Bendheim \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":47834239860893,"sku":"9780593695135","price":37.97,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_24a3e613-e100-4c4a-abfe-6003efa95347.jpg?v=1776147230","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/when-youre-brave-enough-9780593695135","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}