Publication Date: 3 March 2022

The Blurb

Amy Miller is a very positive person and she is fully prepared to be the star of the school Comedy Show. But when Harry is put in charge, he stops her from performing or writing or doing anything fun.

Amy can’t understand what’s happening until her sister tells her: Harry is being sexist, and Amy must take a stand. Armed only with killer one-liners, Amy goes into battle to fight for her right to make people laugh.

The Review

Sharp observational humour and slapstick are combined to produce a laugh out loud tale of standing your ground and not giving up the the face of prejudice.

Amy is a fabulous character, but not without flaws. She’s loud, proud of who she is and a positive force to be reckoned with. Determined to help make life better for her family and friends, she sets off with gusto on her plans, which, for some reason, seem to have the absolute opposite effect. With the help of wise words from new musical collaborator, Lexi, big sister, Caz, and ex best friend Anil, Amy grows to see that sometimes her helpfulness is misguided and unnecessary.

When Harry blocks Amy’s dreams of writing for the school revue, at first she thinks it’s because he doesn’t like her. As she sees other girls being snubbed and side-lined, she realises that she has a bigger fight on her hands. It’s Caz who sets her straight and arms her with the information she needs to show how unjust the planning and organising of the revue is. I loved seeing the Bechdel test explained and explored before Amy set her plan into action to ensure their summer production passes it.

There are great supporting characters in the story, and I’d love to know more about Lexi and Anil in particular. And from the final showdown, we get a glimpse as to why Harry behaves as he does.

You’re Not The Boss Of Me is a brilliant introduction to the concepts of feminism, sexism, misogyny and the patriarchy for younger readers. The perfect blend of properly funny and painfully true, it highlights that showbiz or shy, front stage or back, everybody has the right to showcase their passions and talents in a way that makes them happy!

Great for fans of:

• Jelly by Jo Cotterill
• Vote For Effie by Laura Wood
• The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh by Helen Rutter

Huge thanks to Nosy Crow for sending me a copy. You can take a look inside over at their website.