How It All Ends by Emma Hunsinger is a coming of age story that we know: Girl has trouble fitting in during high school. She is not ready for the trials of being a teen. But, the thing is, she isn’t really a teen. She should be an 8th grader. She should be having homeroom, going to Six Flags, starting a first crush; not having to deal with boys who think interrupting their English teacher is funny. Doing group projects with a boy (thankfully she doesn’t, but that leads to other issues). And one of her best friends in high school shouldn’t be crying in the hallways (or later getting buffed out!) No, because she and two other seventh graders are smart, their junior high thinks they should be challenged and sends them off to be freshman.
When our character, Tara, starts to see how things are light years different from what she expected she finally realizes that you have to be true to yourself or there are a lot of bigger issues than liking the wrong singer. And this is accomplished with help from old and new friends, and her family, our young narrator figures it all out…. hopefully she’s ready.
Overall, things are cozy and familiar if you’ve read much in the way of coming-of-age stories. But it is a fun and new voice as well. While it is a LGBTQ story arc starting, it is also possible for it to be just a “friend crush” so it is relatable to all readers. This is shown in a mixture of a not real but not abstract look. The illustrations are simple, but have the information needed. They compliment each other and the text.