At ALA Midwinter in Dallas, I had the good fortune to attend a Scholastic reception where a handful of authors used Readers' Theater to present the new ARCs awaiting us. One of those ARCs was THE LIST by Siobhan Vivian (Scholastic, April 2012). I knew the basic premise: each year a list of the prettiest and ugliest girl at each grade level in high school is spread over the entire campus. Of course, it is not a sanctioned list, but it is a list that all come to expect and many come to fear. The list comes out, and our story opens.
Told in alternating narratives from the perspectives of each girl on the list, the novel focuses a strong light on popularity, peer pressure, bullying, name calling and much more. That it does all that without being didactic means that whether readers are "mean girls" or the targets of the "mean girls", the story will speak to them all. The large issue: what makes someone pretty or ugly beyond the skin she wears is at the center of this novel. Surprises await girls who dive into the book. <194>
Working in a high school library, it sounds like this book would be a great offering to "my girls" that hang out with me at the circulation desk during lunch. I am putting it on my list to order!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book to add to ones collection. I like that it is a book that everyone could benefit from.
ReplyDeleteI want to read it to see where I would rank on the list... High School is such a brutal experience for many. This seems like a great way to promote self-image.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have girls that hang out with me at the circulation desk during lunch and think that they would like to read this book. This is a book they can relate to.
ReplyDeleteHigh school can be cruel and unusual punishment...any book that can help girls discover a positive self-image and be self-confident in their own skin is a must read for me!
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