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Review: Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simmons

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Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simmons

Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls
Rachel Simmons
Mariner Books
Published August 3, 2011

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Odd Girl Out

When ODD GIRL OUT was first published, it became an instant bestseller and ignited a long-overdue conversation about the hidden culture of female bullying. Today the dirty looks, taunting notes, and social exclusion that plague girls’ friendships have gained new momentum in cyberspace.

In this updated edition, educator and bullying expert Rachel Simmons gives girls, parents, and educators proven and innovative strategies for navigating social dynamics in person and online, as well as brand new classroom initiatives and step-by-step parental suggestions for dealing with conventional bullying. With up-to-the-minute research and real-life stories, ODD GIRL OUT continues to be the definitive resource on the most pressing social issues facing girls today.

REVISED AND UPDATED
WITH NEW MATERIAL ON CYBERBULLYING AND
HELPING GIRLS HANDLE THE DANGERS OF LIFE ONLINE

My Review

I’ve been trying to remember how long this book has been on my reading list. Probably since it came out. I’m sure I saw another blogger talking about it, but I haven’t been able to track down who it was. At any rate, I’ve had a copy of the book for years and around the end of 2022 finally got down to reading it.

I think the most startling thing about the book for me was thinking about the women I know who still behave the way she describes in the book. ODD GIRL OUT talks a lot about how girls have been socialized to avoid direct conflict. We’re taught that it’s not nice. Not feminine. Not appropriate behavior. And so instead, a culture of indirect, often cruel or opaque conflict has emerged.

It’s the silent treatment. The refusal to talk through a conflict directly, instead pretending it didn’t happen or imagining the other person can read the body language or covert signals we send about our feelings.

When I Was the Odd Girl Out

Anyway. I remember being the odd girl out in sixth grade. I wasn’t sure how it happened, since my best friend from fifth grade and I ended up in the same class. She’d been the new girl in fifth, and I think by sixth grade, she’d decided she wanted to be friends with the cool girls, and not friends with me. It was a painful, lonely year.

In tenth grade, we had a class together. We hadn’t spoken since sixth grade, but she apologized. We didn’t become friends again, but I feel very lucky that she reached out like she did. Many people don’t get that kind of… validation? Closure? Whatever it is, I remember feeling that it lifted a weight off my shoulders that I didn’t realize I still carried.

At any rate. This book. ODD GIRL OUT. I love the way Simmons carefully peels back the layers of what’s happening between girls. The book contains tons of interviews with individual girls or group discussions from the three schools she visited regularly. It’s clear that she really tried to listen to the girls and put aside her preconceived ideas.

This Book Has References for Parents

I think my favorite chapter is the one on how to talk to your child if she’s being bullied. There are suggestions for things to say and why you should or should not take certain steps. I love that this list has been compiled from her conversations with girls experiencing bullying. When I spoke with my own daughter about some of the things in the book, she agreed with the book’s assessments. I like the idea of having something of a roadmap to help you navigate having those conversations with your kids.

One thing she mentions in that chapter, too, is how important it is to take stock of your own experiences with bullying in school. That way those feelings don’t leak into the conversation or drive you to make choices that are really about what happened to you, not about what’s going on with your child. Very wise stuff.

Ophelia Project

In the book, they reference the Ophelia Project, which I wasn’t familiar with. It’s a national nonprofit organization that teaches and promotes self-worth and self-confidence in girls. I’m hoping to learn more about the project and find some ways to contribute and maybe bring the curriculum to our schools or libraries where I live.

At any rate, I think ODD GIRL OUT is a necessary read for teachers, parents, and anyone who works with kids. I think readers who enjoy books on social issues or child development will love this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Simmons is herself a white woman. She relates stories as told to her by girls of color and white girls.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to kissing between boy and girl. Brief reference to sexual abuse– one girl interviewed is an abuse survivor.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to domestic violence and abuse. References to fist-fighting. Many descriptions of cruel bullying behavior, especially psychologically or emotionally abusive behavior.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik

Biography, Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik
Dey Street Books
Published October 27, 2015

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Notorious RBG

You can’t spell truth without Ruth.
Only Ruth Bader Ginsburg can judge me.
The Ruth will set you free.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg never asked for fame—she was just trying to make the world a little better and a little freer. But along the way, the feminist pioneer’s searing dissents and steely strength have inspired millions. NOTORIOUS RBG: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RUTH BADER GINSBERG, created by the young lawyer who began the internet sensation and an award-winning journalist, takes you behind the myth for an intimate, irreverent look at the justice’s life and work. As America struggles with the unfinished business of gender equality and civil rights, Ginsburg stays fierce. And if you don’t know, now you know.

My Review

I’ve been looking for a biography about Ruth Bader Ginsburg for a while, and I’m super excited to have found this one. It’s upbeat, filled with facts and personal stories from Ginsburg’s life. I really enjoyed reading about her career as a lawyer and law professor as well as her relationship with her husband Marty, who not only believed in her and celebrated her successes with her but also seemed like a really fun and wonderful person, too.

I thought it was cool to learn that Justice Ginsburg had such a close relationship with Justice Scalia even though they had vastly different views. Her work ethic is legendary, but the compliments from her clerks and the people she worked with say so much about the kind of person she was.

It’s worth pointing out that the book was written before Justice Ginsburg passed away, so some of the wording is still in present tense. I don’t know if there are plans to release an updated version of the book, but I would love to see that and would definitely buy it!

All in all, I loved THE NOTORIOUS RBG. It only reinforced my admiration of Justice Ginsburg for her careful way with words and her unwavering commitment to human rights.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is Jewish.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Mentions of her marriage to Marty Ginsburg.

Spiritual Content
Mentions of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Jewish faith and the fact that when she was a child, she would not have had the option to celebrate her Bat Mitzvah with a big ceremony, though boys had ceremonies for their Bar Mitzvah celebrations.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Middle Grade Books Featuring a Magic School

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Happy Tuesday, everyone! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is to pick a past topic to reboot. I made it easy on myself, and kind of went for a freebie type post because I’ve been wanting to do a Middle Grade Books Featuring a Magic School list for a little bit. In case you’re unfamiliar with Top Ten Tuesday, it’s a weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. It’s a great way to connect with other bloggers and find new books for your reading list.

So, I’m going to assume you’re already familiar with the boy wizard series and Rick Riordan’s books featuring magic schools, as well as the Ever After High series, which was a favorite in our house. Instead, I’ll talk about some really great, more recently published middle grade books featuring a magic school. Here we go!

10 Middle Grade Books Featuring a Magic School

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A. F. Steadman

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A magical school that trains unicorn and rider pairs! A boy who must stop a powerful thief from stealing unicorns. This one is a lot of fun.

Release Date: May 3, 2022 | My Review

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Magic and friendship. A boarding school packed with secrets. Girls who are told they’re broken discovering their true strength. Still a favorite of mine.

Published October 12, 2021 | My Review

Rise of the School for Good and Evil Series by Soman Chainani

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This series tells the origin story of The School for Good and Evil and the two brothers tasked with maintaining a balance between good and evil magic. Packed with the same twisty storytelling and fun energy of the original series.

Published May 31, 2022 | Full review coming soon!

Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A magical town, and an opportunity to join one of five covens… unless you’re a Spare like Seven, forced to complete an impossible task in order to keep her powers.

Published April 5, 2022

A Taste of Magic by J. Elle

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A Black girl with prowess in the kitchen on top of newly discovered magic fights to save her magical school from closing. A super fun read packed with delicious food and family.

Published August 30, 2022 | My Review

Spell Sweeper by Lee Edward Födi

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Quirky characters. A fun and fantastic story about the under-appreciated crew trained at their school to clean up after spellcasters.

Published November 30, 2021 | My Review

Mystwick School of Musicraft by Jessica Khoury

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A school that teaches musicians to create magic. A student on her last chance, who just might be the only one who can save her school from a mysterious, powerful storm. Music and magic make a great pairing here.

Published September 5, 2019

The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A magic school where students gather to practice cultural arts, and a girl who’s first of her ability to be admitted to the school. When her teacher goes missing, it’s up to her and her new friends to rescue him.

Published May 3, 2022

The Storybook of Legends by Shannon Hale

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: A magical school that trains warriors to use their hidden powers. A girl with powerful magic that links her to an infamous traitor who’s determined to find her parents, no matter the cost.

Published March 1, 2022

Secret of the Shadow Beasts by Diane Magras

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Night is ruled by toxic beasts which can only be defeated by children who are immune. When Nora reluctantly joins their ranks, she uncovers secrets that leave her questioning everything. A wild ride of a story.

Published June 14, 2022

What are your favorite magic school books?

Do you like middle grade books featuring a magic school? What are your favorites? Let me know if you’ve read any of the books on my list, or if there are others I should add.

Review: The Girl and the Galdurian by Tim Probert

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,

The Girl and the Galdurian (Lightfall #1)
Tim Probert
HarperAlley
Published September 1, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Girl and the Galdurian

Deep in the heart of the planet Irpa stands the Salty Pig’s House of Tonics & Tinctures, home of the wise Pig Wizard and his adopted granddaughter, Bea. As keepers of the Endless Flame, they live a quiet and peaceful life, crafting medicines and potions for the people of their once-prosperous world.

All that changes one day when, while walking through the woods, Bea meets Cad, a member of the Galdurians, an ancient race thought to be long-extinct. Cad believes that if anyone can help him find his missing people, it’s the Pig Wizard.

But when the two arrive home, the Pig Wizard is nowhere to be found—all that’s left is the Jar of Endless Flame and a mysterious note. Fearing for the Pig Wizard’s safety, Bea and Cad set out across Irpa to find him, while danger fights its way out of the shadows and into the light.

Will these two unexpected friends find the beloved Pig Wizard and prevent eternal darkness from blanketing their world? Or has Irpa truly seen its last sunrise?

My Review

What a fun book! I loved the dynamic between Bea and Cad. Bea is more timid and anxious, and Cad is the epitome of a can-do guy. He always believes they’ll get free from every trap or bad situation. I loved the way the two of them worked together as a team.

The illustrations are gorgeous. I feel like I’m really picky about graphic novels. I tend to love ones that have a more epic fantasy feel to them with more woodsy or nature-centered artwork. So this one scratched all those itches for me. I thought there were a few panels that were maybe a little dark or lower contrast that were a bit hard for me to see, but only a very few. The whole of the story more than made up for the fact that I had to slow down a bit a few times.

I think readers who enjoyed ESTRANGED by Ethan Aldridge or the Amulet series will like this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Cad is a Galdurian, a race of people thought to be extinct. Bea is adopted by her wizard grandfather.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some cartoonish battle sequences fighting giant crabs, a tentacled monster, and hungry lizards.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy by Misty Copeland

Biography, Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy
Misty Copeland
Illustrated by Salena Barnes
Aladdin
Published November 2, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Black Ballerinas

As a young girl living in a motel with her mother and her five siblings, Misty Copeland didn’t have a lot of exposure to ballet or prominent dancers. She was sixteen when she saw a black ballerina on a magazine cover for the first time. The experience emboldened Misty and told her that she wasn’t alone—and her dream wasn’t impossible.

In the years since, Misty has only learned more about the trailblazing women who made her own success possible by pushing back against repression and racism with their talent and tenacity. Misty brings these women’s stories to a new generation of readers and gives them the recognition they deserve.

With an introduction from Misty about the legacy these women have had on dance and on her career itself, this book delves into the lives and careers of women of color who fundamentally changed the landscape of American ballet from the early 20th century to today.

From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author and American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland comes an illustrated nonfiction collection celebrating dancers of color who have influenced her on and off the stage.

My Review

One of the things I love about this book is that Misty Copeland talks about how she encountered the story of each dancer she profiles. Sometimes those stories include meeting her in person, and other times how she learned of their history and what it meant to her to discover it. Always, she includes biographical information about each woman and her career as a dancer as well as challenges she faced and how she responded to or overcame them.

At first I thought the book would simply be profiles of dancers of color, each page being a biography of a different dancer’s life. I think connecting them to Copeland’s personal experience really helped paint a picture of the dance world as a whole and how some things have evolved. It also showed areas where harmful prejudices still exist for dancers of color today, which is really important.

I loved the beautiful drawings of each dancer and the descriptions of their dance styles or the memorable roles they’ve played. I want to go back through the book and search for video clips of the dancers profiled in BLACK BALLERINAS so that I can hopefully see some of those incredible performances.

All in all, I highly recommend this book for dance fans and readers interested in women’s history.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Representation
This book tells the story of women of color and their careers in the professional dance world.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some brief mentions of racism and colorism.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Historical, Memoir, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , , , ,

They Called Us Enemy
George Takei
Justin Eisinger
Steven Scott
Illustrated by Harmony Becker
Top Shelf Productions
Published July 16, 2019

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About They Called Us Enemy

A graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei’s childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon — and America itself.

Long before George Takei braved new frontiers in Star Trek, he woke up as a four-year-old boy to find his own birth country at war with his father’s — and their entire family forced from their home into an uncertain future.

In 1942, at the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, every person of Japanese descent on the west coast was rounded up and shipped to one of ten “relocation centers,” hundreds or thousands of miles from home, where they would be held for years under armed guard.

They Called Us Enemy is Takei’s firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the joys and terrors of growing up under legalized racism, his mother’s hard choices, his father’s faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future.

My Review

I’d heard of this book before, but it was mentioned again in George Takei’s biography in MORE AWESOME ASIAN AMERICANS, a book featuring 20 biographies of Asian Americans. I discovered my library had an electronic copy, so I checked it out and read it in one sitting.

The illustrator, Harmony Becker, did an amazing job focusing each panel in on the most critical elements. There are lots of panels that at first glance seemed very simple, but as I looked at them longer, I noticed how the illustrations often drew my eye to important features.

I also thought the balance between the illustrations and the stories was expertly done. The combination felt much larger than the sum of its parts. I found so many moments deeply moving.

The story bounces back and forth between Takei’s childhood, showing his experiences with his family, and then a more present-day version of himself, reflecting back on those days or speaking to an audience about his experiences.

The story also does a great job delivering personal moments as well as the historical events that impacted George Takei and his family. I loved the way that he spoke about his father throughout the book. I loved his admiration for his dad and the treasure of the lessons he learned from him.

All that is not to say the book is without shocking or hard moments. The reality of what he and 160,000 others endured was and is terrible. I think the authors did a wonderful job speaking truth in an engaging way, great for a young audience. I found the story deeply moving and inspiring, perfect for late elementary or middle school readers.

Content Notes for They Called Us Enemy

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Major characters are Japanese American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used a couple times.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to marriage.

Spiritual Content
Reference to a Buddhist faith leader being incarcerated.

Violent Content
References to and descriptions of racist behavior toward Japanese Americans. Some panels show soldiers carrying guns.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.