Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
The tables have turned on the former “Fearsome Fivesome” member, Regina. Once a member of the both feared and admired clique of high school girls, Regina has been banished due to nasty rumors about Regina and her best friend’s boyfriend at a party. Regina swears the rumors aren’t true (the truth is, her best friend’s boyfriend tried to rape her) but that doesn’t stop the other girls from ruthlessly bullying her and tormenting her. The now, “Fearsome Foursome” won’t stop until Regina wants to die.
We have all heard the saying, “what goes around, comes around”. Regina was one of the bullies who used to torture and torment others and would probably have continued to do so if the tables hadn’t turned on her. Now, after alienation from her group of “friends”, Regina is at the mercy of a boy she used to bully, Michael. Michael doesn’t easily accept Regina’s friendship. Who can blame him? Once the Fearsome Foursome see Regina is becoming friends with Michael, he, too, becomes a target.
Regina does feel sorry for the torture she inflicted on him and others. She felt that being that way was required to maintain her place in the Fearsome Fivesome. Regina’s regret makes her character more likeable. Regina is both likeable and unlikable as the protagonist. She became more likeable when she admitted to herself, and others, that she was once a complete bi@#$. We then can feel sorry for her and empathize with her character and the pain she is going through.
The ending is not the positive resolution a YA reader will find in many YA books. But the ending does fit the story, perfectly.
The plot is similar to Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. Teen violence, peer pressure, alienation, and bullying are the unfortunate components of both stories. Both characters have come of age in the books.
I would recommend this book to be put on a recommended reading list but not necessarily one to be taught in the classroom. This is a story they have all heard before, unfortunately, but the book does have a redeeming quality and will speak to the young adult reader. I would recommend this for the 13-18 year-old reader.
Here is a link to the author's website: http://courtneysummers.ca/novels/some-girls-are/
We have all heard the saying, “what goes around, comes around”. Regina was one of the bullies who used to torture and torment others and would probably have continued to do so if the tables hadn’t turned on her. Now, after alienation from her group of “friends”, Regina is at the mercy of a boy she used to bully, Michael. Michael doesn’t easily accept Regina’s friendship. Who can blame him? Once the Fearsome Foursome see Regina is becoming friends with Michael, he, too, becomes a target.
Regina does feel sorry for the torture she inflicted on him and others. She felt that being that way was required to maintain her place in the Fearsome Fivesome. Regina’s regret makes her character more likeable. Regina is both likeable and unlikable as the protagonist. She became more likeable when she admitted to herself, and others, that she was once a complete bi@#$. We then can feel sorry for her and empathize with her character and the pain she is going through.
The ending is not the positive resolution a YA reader will find in many YA books. But the ending does fit the story, perfectly.
The plot is similar to Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. Teen violence, peer pressure, alienation, and bullying are the unfortunate components of both stories. Both characters have come of age in the books.
I would recommend this book to be put on a recommended reading list but not necessarily one to be taught in the classroom. This is a story they have all heard before, unfortunately, but the book does have a redeeming quality and will speak to the young adult reader. I would recommend this for the 13-18 year-old reader.
Here is a link to the author's website: http://courtneysummers.ca/novels/some-girls-are/
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