A coming-of-age tale told in the parlance
of Generation Z, Eighth Grade depicts the last week of Kayla Day’s
middle school career. The path has not been easy: Kayla struggles with social
anxiety and doesn’t have many friends. She’s voted “most quiet” by her class,
but despite her outward reality, Kayla contends on her personal YouTube channel
that, in fact, she is humorous and cool and talkative, if only her classmates
took the time to get to know her. Her assertions are put to the test in the
following week, during which Kayla goes to a pool party hosted by Kennedy
Graves (voted “best eyes”), attempts to kindle a spark with her crush, and
attends a high school shadowing program. These experiences challenge Kayla to
embody the advice she so readily espouses on her YouTube channel, and though
she isn’t miraculously transformed into the most popular girl at school in time
for graduation, she learns something of being herself.
