I grew up in a very conservative home with absolutely no sex education. Anytime I have the chance to support resources aimed at this type of education I will support them in any way that I can. This little book did an amazing job of not only talking about sex and bodies, but also consent, inclusion and pornography in a way that was accessible and safe.

I like the idea of a book for middle grade explaining porn. But, if the idea is good the realization here totally missed the spot.

From the very first page, It starts saying that people feel embarrassed to speak about sex because we don't get it and feel the need to be an expert... and then said ok we're here to speak about porn.
Porn isn't sex. It seems to be the main topic of the book but here the approach is already wrong.

What should be normalized here first of all is discussion about sex even before porn comes around to mess up with what you know (or should know). Lack of communication around sex is problematic. Bad ethics in porn industry is problematic. Objectization and hyper sexualization is problematic. Rape culture is problematic. Lack of representations in sex-ed is problematic (queer). Porn per se isn't the issue. Lack of communication about anything remotely close to sex (outside of reproductive purpose) is the massive issue.

I like the interactive and comics strip parts. The form. Not so much the content unfortunately.

Another point that bothered me is speaking of evolution of sexualization in medias based on the way we access it. It is only partially true and lack of relevance if the evolution of moeurs and the explanation of how things are differently approached, accepted or shamed depends of era, beliefs and location.

I'm totally against a binary approach of sex. Not in terms of genders (though gender binary is also an issue here) but in term of either you have sex or not. It's not black and white. It's a full spectrum and there's way more between having sex and not having sex at all.

The definition and explanation about consent is a bit reductive for my tastes. It's not just giving permission. It's setting rules and defining what are the limits for every participant, where you are comfortable and when you are not anymore. Either for watching porn, having whatever sort of sex or just in term of relationship. It's also how to deal when people (most of them whatever how they identify but mostly men in our actual society) don't do thing the right way, how to be sure of your own decision, how not be manipulated or see your comfort and understanding of a sexual situation diminished and so on. How to seek your pleasure and say it when it doesn't work for you even if it bruises male ego.

The book seems to be middle grade target, it means 8-13 years old, right ? But the language is sometimes too childish to explain a concept and sometimes totally out of the age target by being too mature.

Also, speaking about gender stereotypes but including the only male-female without including the non cis "nuances" (non binary, trans,two spirits...) is tricky and biased. I mean, there is a mention that there are more genders but added as an afterthought, not better than a footnote.

The definition of male gaze is wrong for so many reasons that I won't detailed. It's simplist even for kids and unfortunately stereotypical and partially wrong.

The writer seems to have a vision, let's say, idolized of porn or maybe outdated. That's not really helpful at the end. I get it that you cannot (or don't want) to speak about certain aspects of porn and sexuality with teens but the fact is they are already exposed to it and not discussing it properly is THE issue.

Totally canceling (or diabolizing it) porn is also the best way to push them to take a look at it and take recommendation where they shouldn't. All kind of porn isn't sex-ed, yes, but all porns aren't bad. Now, there is a lot of ethical studios creating ethical porn for the last few years and more safe, consent friendly and diversity approached. Is still not sex ed, yes. But it's something that should be explained to be sure they access the right content if they are curious (and they will).

The asexuality part is so reductive and false. Wanted to include queer and Ace spectrum without deeper knowledge than the basic definition of Asexual in the dico is a really bad thing. It sounds like a queer washing after thought (again). And it's false and non inclusive information. Or at least not relevant enough. Sex can be an interest for asexual too (demisexual to mentioned just one). Just saying that sex isn't an interest for asexual, at all, is plain wrong. It's a spectrum there is so much more to add to this.

Except for one or two "after thoughts", few words here and there (really so little for something about this topics) the 2SLGBTQIA+ are totally forgotten. It's men and women dynamics, cishet.

Overall, it's a very cis white American way of doing sex ed and "explaining " porn and the difference between both. As a queer woman and sensitivity reader, I cannot recommend this at all.

I'm aware that I received it as an Advanced reader copy and that the content might not be totally definitive. But I can see the need for at least 20 more pages to includes the 2SLGBTQIA+ pov, ethical porn and more and correct half of what I read. I hope it's a really early draft.

A great way to make your teen (or anyone you know struggling with porn use/understanding) to feel awkward but informed.

A bit wordy for the average teen in some spots. It would be a good resource for a health class teacher. There are built in activity pages per topic.

This has some good advice and information, but it is best suited as a book for parents for times when they need to talk about porn and sex with their children and educate them.
It does not talk about the negative experiences around porn in much detail.
Though, the rest is very informative and insightful.

The book is advertized as debunking myths around sexuality, specifically around pornography - instead it felt much more like general, very basic sex education, with some added information about porn.

However, the inforation about porn seemed very idealized. There was no real criticism of porn or the industry (other than talking about male gaze) which, in a book that supposedly is all about porn, felt like an oversight? At the same time, I can also see why you wouldn't want to discuss the ethics and issues of the porn industry in a kid's book.

Speaking of this being for kids - I am not entirely sure of target group. A lot of the language and overall design of the book leads me to believe it's meant for a younger audience (maybe young teens/middel grade?) but then the topics are slightly older, particularly in terms of media literacy and some of the words and topics that are assumed to already be known? But then, that's just my impression, I am in no way involved in or knowledgeable about education or working with kids, so I may be completely wrong.

I was also confused about what the book chose to include and what it didn't. It spent quite a while establishing very basic things, or, for example, there were a lot of details on safer sex, particularly barrier methods, but barely mentioned any other methods or birth control? So it was far from a comprehensive sex ed book.

My favourite part about the book was how it encourages the reader to think critically. It introduces concepts like media literacy, the male gaze, fetishiation, rape culture, and more, and constantly encourages the reader to ask questions about everything. This also extended to conversations about boundaries, and encourages the reader to think inward and about their own values and what they are comfortable with.
In this area, there were a lot of interactive parts, both puzzles, riddles, but also open writing or thinking prompts.

Lastly, I found the font a bit too small, I had to zoom in a lot to read comfortably. While I liked the casual inclusion of queerness, I was disappointed to find that when asexuality is mentioned, it is equated with never wanting sex at all, which is just plain wrong.

I read an ARC, and there were some parts that seemed clearly unfinished (like a missing headline, and some parts where highlighted) so I assume there are still changes to be done with the book.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to the publisher for sending this to me.

It is clear the author put a lot of thought into this book, and it paid off. The structure flowed seamlessly, which helped capture the broader range of sex ed information you wouldn't usually get. I found it very informative and thought-provoking, all the while fun with the suggested activities.

If you have a child who will be joining high school soon, this book provides a great way to open the conversation with them about sex and porn.

Pornography is an emotive word, especially to parents whose children are old enough to access social media. It's also a difficult subject to bring up in conversation at any age! No one can police their kids all the time, nor can they control what pops up in adverts or follow on links as they fall down the rabbit hole that is the Internet.

Jess Melendez has written a book which, although aimed at the American market,
is universal in the information it imparts. There are activities to undertake, including a word search, crossword, and quiz, as well as offering suggestions for questions the reader can ask a parent or trusted adult to initiate discussion. The illustrations cover all and every conceivable body type and are also good conversation starters.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Hachette UK/Jessica Kingsley Publishers, but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a useful tool to help with difficult discussions which become ever more important as the internet influences more of our youngsters' time and opinions.

A thorough book that covers many aspects of sex education and delves into the topic of pornography, what it is, why people might use it, and how it is focuses on the male gaze. I liked the comparison of how different geographic regions share limited amounts of information in term of sex education, providing greater context for divide in knowledge and understanding. Sections on media literacy, the male gaze, and pornography literacy were well covered. This is a great informative and inclusive title on pornography and sex education.

Really mixed feelings on this one because it is so important but I'm so unsure how to ensure this gets to kids who would benefit! Kids need this, who's the person sharing it? In my teacher roles, this is obviously not the right fit, but important for parents & counselors to share. Such an important topic, so impressively handled. Reflection and activities included as well. A great tool!

I think that this is a wonderful tool to discuss sex, and all that includes for younger teens and preteens. This books breaks down everything having to do with sex-what it is, what porn is and why people might watch it, how to be safe, how to have open conversations about it with a partner, how to tell when you’re ready for it. All of this is delivered in a very easy to digest and interactive way that teens & preteens will be able to understand without talking down to them.

I thought this book did an excellent job of including topics such as barrier contraception for same-sex couples, discussing inequalities in sex education according to state, and orgasm. I feel as though it might have included a little more about the asexual community, and as a British reader, I do wish it had covered areas other than the USA, but these are relatively small complains.

This is such an important book for teens everywhere, and I believe that absolutely everyone should have access to this book. I love how this book established various key things early on: Porn is a fantasy and therefore not real AND carefully talking about topics that make us uncomfortable is one of the best ways for us to grow and learn. Bravo, bravo, bravo to the author for this!! Additionally, it was awesome how the author made sure to really get parents/caregivers involved with their teens as they read this book. Even further, the creators of this book made a point to make this an *active* reading experience rather than a *passive* one. There are various types of activities and questions scattered throughout the book that really get the reader thinking, both about society and themselves. As for the visuals, I appreciated the graphic novel layout of most of the book; it will definitely help readers stay engaged and add some *fun* to the serious topics. Lastly, the illustrations were accurate and I didn't notice any flaws in them. Bravo!
One editing note: On page 52, the "v" should be taken out of "idventity" and, if this wasn't on purpose, "porn" is listed twice in the "Sex Education" web.

I was hoping this would be something teens would want to get into and actually learn about. Unfortunately this was more of a wiki page on sex education. I'm not sure if it was just my download, but the way it was written, was very hard to read. Example, HoW aRe yoU DOing? The whole book was written this way. And I'm suggesting that's fixed. The end of the book gave parents good information on how to talk to your teens about porn, is the only reason I'm giving this two stars.

I really like the content of this book and think it would have been amazing for when I was a teenager and had very limited sex ed or understanding of sexuality and anatomy.

The illustrations are amazing and the interactive elements are a nice way to break it up and allow for processing.

The only thing that I’m unsure about is the title. It’s definitely an attention grab, however I think it reduces the accessibility of the book. I know as a teenager with a title like that I would not have felt comfortable buying it for myself, and it’s definitely not something my parents would have bought for me.

Loved this book/workbook! I give queer sex ed workshops and this will be a super useful resource and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy. My only complaint is the all caps text, which I know is still standard for graphic novels but from an accessibility pov makes it harder to read.

This book is great. It explains things in ways. Kids can understand. It opens them up to having a conversation with a parent or guardian, knowing that this is something that they can and should talk about if they have questions. This book explains what is normal and what is important for kids to know perfectly.
I also love that it is interactive. There’s a word search and questions to ask and to reflect on there’s even spaces where they can write in their answers.
I feel like this is also a good book for adult adults to read with the kids or read on their own when kids come to them with questions.
So much is covered here that isn’t covered in health class

I am so glad books like this exist.

I am 37 years-old and just learned today, via this beautiful book, that the clitoris was vastly unknown until 1998. (Google it. Isn’t that insane?!) Can you imagine learning this information as a young lady? It would be informative as hell and very empowering to have this kind of information not only about yourself but of the society you live in and the history therein.

Anyways. I think this book got a whole lot of things right. I loved that it was written in graphic novel format. This allows us to reach teens where they’re at in a way that is approachable for them. I think the realistic pictures of anatomy looking a variety of different ways is WONDERFUL. Hopefully the vast majority of people who read this book can see some type of reflection of themselves there. I also think this book does a good job of leaving hysterics out of the information presented. These are hot button issues and it’s nice to read facts and leave our sometimes heated emotions and opinions out. I appreciate the activities, glossary, and the “ask a trusted adult” question boxes.

I happen to think pornography is harmful and does more bad than good. I appreciate the messaging that porn is fantasy, not reality. Porn IS regrettably (in my opinion) still a part of OUR reality and therefore it’s important to educate our teens about it. I am grateful this book exists as I venture forward into educating my teenager about porn.

The recommended age is 12-18 and I think it’s a little soon for my kiddo to jump into this at age 13 but we are fortunate to homeschool and sometimes don’t face the same pressures as other families.

Thank you NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the digital ARC copy!