Like in Invisible Emmie and Positively Izzy, many of the illustrations feature captions filled with gags. One thing I also love about Just Jaime is how it uses humor to stay lighthearted. Luckily, in author Terri Libenson's hands, Just Jaime is one of the most thought-provoking and fascinating books I've ever read. Just Jaime also discusses the idea of forgiveness: should we forgive others for their wrongs and risk them hurting us again, or should we shut people out after they make mistakes, even though we might want them to forgive us if we made a mistake? How should we decide between these options? In the wrong hands, a book similar to Just Jaime could have been filled with incorrect assumptions and lacked empathy. Readers will empathize with the characters of the story, even as they are appalled/horrified by their actions. Just Jaime gives us a look inside the minds of the children who do awful things to each other, and it shows us why they might do those things (especially as part of groups) and why they might struggle to leave those groups (even when it seems to us like the obvious solution). Many of us struggle to figure out how children and teenagers can be so cruel to each other, whether peers or even friends.
I love Just Jaime for so many reasons! One is that it tackles an exceedingly difficult subject matter with plenty of thought and insight. When something happens that severely endangers Jaime's position in the group and friendship with Maya, both Jaime and Maya are faced with tough decisions about the people they care about and the ways they want to feel and be perceived. (These students include characters from previous books in the series, such as Emmie and Brianna, making for an interesting tie-in to the previous books.) Eventually, Celia, Grace, and even Maya begin to turn on Jaime, who they feel still acts too childish they judge her for not yet liking boys, wearing certain kinds of outfits, etc. Celia is one of the most popular kids in school, and she leads her friends in making rude comments about other students behind their backs. Jaime and Maya are best friends, and they and another girl, Grace, are part of a friend group "led" by a girl named Celia.
Just Jaime, like all of the books in the "Emmie & Friends" series, switches between the viewpoints of two characters: Jaime (whose story is told in prose with frequent illustrations) and Maya (whose story is told in comic-book-style panels).
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