I was sent a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

CW: Transphobia and bullying

Joy is a twelve-year-old transgender girl living stealth in Texas who loves cheer. During the summer, she and her friends practice their cheerleading moves in preparation for tryouts. When tryouts come and Joy makes the team, she is ecstatic! Cheer is all she can think about. But, things take a turn for the worst when she is informed that under Texas state law, she cannot be on the team due to a parent complaint leading her to have to now use the nurse's bathroom and is forbidden from using the girl's locker room.

Joy is utterly devastated. All she wants to do is cheer with friends! Throughout the course of the book tries to fight the school's decision. Along the way, she learns more about being an activist. I thought this book was FANTASTIC. It hits every note about trans kids fighting for their lives and especially how trans girls are being banned from participating in sports. I highly recommend this book for everyone especially parents wanting to have this conversation with their children.

As we read from Joy's perspective, you get learn about how these decisions are actually affecting trans kids in real-time. Bunker incorporates diary entries throughout the book where Joy gets intimate about 
her feelings toward everything going on in her life. I also enjoyed the inclusion of faith in Joy's character. She is religious and attends mass at an LGBTQ+ friendly church every Sunday. Plus, in her diary entries, she always ends them with "God bless" specfici people. For example, her, her brother, Will and her Mom. Then, the list gets longer as she meets new people along the way.

With Kai Shappley, a young transgender girl & activist being a co-writer on this book, you get a glimpse into a trans girl's life in the height of her activism. There are nods to Shappley's activism through Joy's discovery of her and Shappley is a character in the book, as well.

This book was very refreshing as it wasn't the typical coming out story. I liked getting to read a middle grade book about a trans kid who already knows themself and has an accepting family. There are instances of transphobia in this book as it does deal with discrimination and transphobia. For instance,
there are moments as Joy's story is gaining traffic on social media where Joy's mother is letting her read comments (but monitors her screen time to protect her, which I appreciated a lot) and a scene where they attend a board meeting and angry transphobic parents are yelling at her. The adults in this book are admirable and I loved how much they all protected Joy. Plus, there are the general scenes where the superintendent is spewing hateful rhetoric and there are some kids from the cheer team whose parents are bigoted and they are mirroring their bigoted language. However, it is moderate, please proceed with caution if any of this causes you any distress!   

Joy, to the World is perfect for fans of A.J. Sass and Alex Gino.