“Grammy said I’d grow out of my shyness, but since she left, it’s only gotten worse.” Those are the thoughts conveyed by Jillian, the fifth-grader and title character of the new book “Just Right Jillian” by Nicole D. Collier. The Atlanta author describes her debut novel as a “love letter to shy children.” She joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes via Zoom to talk about middle school life and why she relates so much to her timid young protagonist.
Shy Jillian tackles middle school, grief and her self-esteem:
“Jillian is a super smart but super shy fifth-grader, and she has made a promise to her ‘Grammy’ that she will believe in herself and that she will be more confident in herself,” said Collier. “As we begin, we start to see just how that plays out in her life. She really wants to do her best and speak up, but she’s really having a hard time, right up until the time she gets the opportunity to put this new promise to the test.”
“Grammy has already passed away by the time we get to know Jillian, and as a matter of fact, she’s coming up on the one-year anniversary of her passing. But Grammy is the person who taught Jillian how to weave, and Grammy, later on as her health started to decline, moved in with Jillian. But throughout the years, Grammy was always this … vibrant, very alive person, the type of person who makes doctors believe that she can’t even hear because she doesn’t want to be bothered at the time. But she was always willing to allow Jillian to be herself while pushing her to become even more of herself, which I think is always that struggle — really honoring the child as they are while seeing the potential for who they can be.”
How Collier made use of her childhood shyness and understanding of kids:
