"Issues of self-esteem, abusive relationships and mental health in a multi-layered narrative set in a Californian High School"
The title of this highly empathetic and nuanced novel continues to cleverly resonate when we see chapters headed “the bulimic,” “the cool girl,” “the girlfriend,” “the popular girl”, “the best friend” and so on. At first, we do not identify these first-person narrators, but they soon begin to mesh and enable us to have a real depth of understanding of the main characters and emphasises the conflicting roles that girls feel themselves forced to inhabit. Taking place over a timeline that spans just a week, a high school is rocked and divided by the revelation that Mike, a popular high achiever and ‘golden boy’ student, has given his girlfriend, Maya, a black eye.
Subsequent rumours result in split opinions about Maya: some believe that Mike should be expelled, while others think he might not have been her abuser. Maya’s best friend, Junie, from whom she’s become distanced due to Mike’s isolating behaviour, is also dealing with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder which she copes with by cutting and Maya’s relationship anxiety has also prompted bulimia.
This is an unflinching, hard-hitting novel which certainly does not glamorise disordered behaviour, but enables us to understand how these negative coping mechanisms arise and to appreciate the challenges the girls face as they learn to trust and help each other again. Ultimately this is an empowering novel which advocates honesty, self-belief and the value of friendship. It will resonate deeply and provoke valuable discussion of important real-life issues.
'He said we'd go to the same college, that we'd live in the same dorm, that we'd end up working in the same city after graduation. Doesn't every girl dream that her boyfriend will love her like that?'
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'He said we'd go to the same college, that we'd live in the same dorm, that we'd end up working in the same city after graduation. Doesn't every girl dream that her boyfriend will love her like that?' The girls at North Bay Academy are taking sides.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed What Kind of Girl and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
What Kind of Girl features in the following genres: Stories about Family and Friends, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Featured Books for 13+ readers, Recommendations, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Romance / Relationship Stories, School Stories, Featured Books for Young Adults
Paperback. £9.89, down from the £10.99 cover price. In Stock.
What Kind of Girl was written by Alyssa Sheinmel and published by ATOM an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group
What Kind of Girl has 360 pages
£9.89, reduced from £10.99. In Stock.
