An unexpectedly layered story of slow awakening and redemption.
Uber–good-girl Sammy Wallach did not deserve this.
The white, Jewish girl had been the “poster child for responsibility,” getting good grades, practicing driving, prepping for SATs and AP exams. Yet when her father's company, New Territories Bank Corporation, gets hacked and her father’s racist, sexist emailed remarks exposed, all her plans are thrown off course. With her family's scandal flooding the headlines, she cannot bear the thought of walking the halls of Brooklawne High. The prospect of dealing with her worrisome mother, killjoy little brother, and distant father instead propels her to face the awkward moments anyway. At least her dog, Scruffles, doesn't mind the drama. After the hackers release a second round of leaks, Sammy's journal—and her own narrow-minded remarks—is uploaded for the entire world to read. Abandoned by her best friends and ridiculed by classmates, Sammy struggles to find something to look forward to. Littman ably develops Sammy through her confrontations with her family's secrets. The revelations of her and her dad's prejudices are handled in a way that could be considered either underwhelming or disappointingly realistic: Sammy’s confrontation with her father is uncomfortable, and it doesn’t end in a rallying cry for justice. But the Wallachs are moving in the right direction, though many readers may think at too slow a pace.
An unexpectedly layered story of slow awakening and redemption. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-90437-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
Inspiring and heartwarming.
The future is female: Her name is President Diffenderfer.
Best friends since kindergarten, Ava, CJ, Jordan, and Martha tackle their senior year with great aplomb in Watson’s debut. When their senior rite of passage, carving one’s name into the jungle gym at a local park, is threatened by a city council that wants to demolish the park, the girls rally to save the place where they became friends. This is far from their only problem: Though each is talented, they struggle this year with emotional, academic, social, and financial issues. Latinx artist Ava, who lives with depression, desires to find her birth mother and attend art school against her mother’s wishes; white cross-country athlete CJ, who is self-conscious about her body, can’t crack the SATs, so she strengthens her college application by volunteering with disabled children; biracial (black/white) student journalist Jordan lies about her age to interview a handsome councilman’s aide, and a mutual crush develops; STEM-focused white lesbian Martha, named for her ancestor Martha Washington, worries that her family can’t afford MIT. Over the course of the year, the friends weather obstacles and realize the power of their friendship. Their relationship prepares one of the girls to become president of the United States, and the twist ending will come as a surprise. The characters are superbly drawn; portrayed as whole people, the various elements of their identities are not the entirety of who they are.
Inspiring and heartwarming. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: March 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-316-45483-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Poppy/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
Vail captures the complexity of middle school social challenges, insightfully addressing the issues of friendships and...
Eighth-grader Truly’s foray into popularity spirals into a tempest of deceit and betrayal.
Upon turning 13, Truly is given a measure of technological freedom: a cellphone and access to social media. But this soon evolves into a quagmire of problems for Truly. When former BFF Natasha invites her to join the Popular Table during lunchtime and to collaborate on a school assignment, Truly is surprised but thrilled. However, Natasha’s overtures hide an ulterior motive. In the pursuit of popularity, Truly neglects her friendship with Hazel, who retaliates by plotting revenge utilizing social media. The Truly/Hazel dynamic is just one component of this interwoven story. Vail explores the motivations and private quandaries of the six characters who narrate the tale, from Jack, the quiet advocate for those excluded, to the socially conscious and manipulative Natasha, who yearns to be the most popular. With keen insight, Vail reveals the internal struggles with uncertainty and self-doubt that can plague young teens regardless of popularity status. Natasha’s schemes and Hazel’s misdeeds lead to a relentless barrage of bullying via social media for Truly. While a dramatic moment reveals the extent of Truly’s anguish, Vail concludes the tale with a resolution that is both realistic and hopeful.
Vail captures the complexity of middle school social challenges, insightfully addressing the issues of friendships and integrity. (Fiction. 12-15)Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-670-01307-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
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