Rules for being a girl

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Title:

Rules for being a girl

Author:

Bushnell, Candace, author.

ISBN:

9780062803375

Edition:

1st ed.

Physical Description:

293 pages ; 22 cm.

Subject Term:

Teenage girls -- Fiction.

High schools -- Fiction.

Teacher-student relationships -- Fiction.

Student newspapers and periodicals -- Fiction.

Book clubs (Discussion groups) -- Fiction.

Sexism -- Fiction.

Added Author:

Cotugno, Katie

Summary:

It starts before you can even remember: You learn the rules for being a girl ... Marin has always been good at navigating these unspoken guidelines. A star student and editor of the school paper, she dreams of getting into Brown University. Marin's future seems bright--and her young, charismatic English teacher, Mr. Beckett, is always quick to admire her writing and talk books with her. But when Bex takes things too far and comes on to Marin, she's shocked and horrified. Had she somehow led him on? Was it her fault? When Marin works up the courage to tell the administration what happened, no one believes her. She's forced to face Bex in class every day. Except now, he has an ax to grind. But Marin isn't about to back down. She uses the school newspaper to fight back and she starts a feminist book club at school. She finds allies in the most unexpected people, like slutty Gray Kendall, who she'd always dismissed as just another lacrosse bro. As things heat up at school and in her personal life, Marin must figure out how to take back the power and write her own rules.

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Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	TEEN FICTION BUS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove)	TEEN FICTION BUS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	TEEN FICTION BUS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Stillwater Public Library	TEEN FICTION BUS	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Candace Bushnell, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Sex and the City, and Katie Cotugno, New York Times bestselling author of 99 Days, team up to write a fierce, propulsive novel about a girl who is preyed upon by a manipulative teacher and finds the power to fight back. Perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Laurie Halse Anderson.

It starts before you can even remember: You learn the rules for being a girl. . . .

Marin has always been good at navigating these unspoken guidelines. A star student and editor of the school paper, she dreams of getting into Brown University. Marin's future seems bright--and her young, charismatic English teacher, Mr. Beckett, is always quick to admire her writing and talk books with her.

But when "Bex" takes things too far and comes on to Marin, she's shocked and horrified. Had she somehow led him on? Was it her fault?

When Marin works up the courage to tell the administration what happened, no one believes her. She's forced to face Bex in class every day. Except now, he has an ax to grind.

But Marin isn't about to back down. She uses the school newspaper to fight back and she starts a feminist book club at school. She finds allies--and even romance--in the most unexpected people, like Gray Kendall, who she'd always dismissed as just another lacrosse bro.

As things heat up at school and in her personal life, Marin must figure out how to take back the power and write her own rules.

Author Notes

Candace Bushnell was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut on December 1, 1958. She attended Rice University and New York University. She worked as a freelancer and wrote pieces about women, relationships and dating for Mademoiselle, Self Magazine, and Esquire. In 1993, she began writing for the New York Observer and in November 1994, she created the column Sex and the City, which ran in the New York Observer for two years. The column was turned into a book in 1996, became a hit television series, and a blockbuster movie. She is also the author of 4 Blondes (2000), Trading Up (2003), Lipstick Jungle (2005), One Fifth Avenue (2008), The Carrie Diaries (2010), Summer and the City (2011), and Killing Monica (2105). She received the 2006 Matrix Award for books and the Albert Einstein Spirit of Achievement Award.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (4)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up--Overachieving, Ivy League--bound Marin grudgingly accepts the sexism around her, from an English curriculum dominated by male writers to a principal who publicly humiliates female students for dress code violations. Then her teacher Mr. Beckett tries to kiss her. Shaken and ashamed, she worries that she unwittingly sent him romantic signals. But soon she gets enraged at the idea that women are supposed to behave according to some unspoken code of conduct. In an incendiary editorial ("The Rules for Being a Girl") for the school paper, she censures the traditional rules and excuses: "Don't let things go too far. Don't give him the wrong idea. Don't blame him for trying." The response is disappointing; her best friend Chloe finds the piece shrill, and her boyfriend Jacob dubs Marin a "crazy feminist." But Marin comes to embrace that label, starting a feminist book club and finding the strength to speak out against Mr. Beckett. While the characters are thinly developed stock types and the ending wraps up too neatly, Marin's transformation into a clear-eyed young activist will inspire teens. Rife with references to pop culture, this fast-paced narrative introduces the complexities of intersectionality, identifies the insidious impact of rape culture, and encourages readers to take a stand against everyday injustices. VERDICT Young people starting to explore social justice will find this engaging work a stepping stone on the way to heavier fare such as Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist or Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.--Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

Publisher's Weekly Review

Authors Bushnell (Sex in the City for adults) and Cotugno (99 Days) team up in this novel about a young woman facing assault and sexist power dynamics in a post-#MeToo era. Best friends Chloe and Marin share a crush on their high school English teacher, Mr. Beckett, who's also their advisor on the school paper, where the girls are coeditors. When Bex, as he's known, moves from being friendly with Marin to kissing her, she isn't sure where to turn; Chloe questions Marin's account entirely, advising her not to ruin Bex's life by telling. When Marin writes an editorial about double standards, Bex warns her of "blowback," which she promptly receives, called "some crazy feminist" by her boyfriend. As Marin becomes more aware of problematic issues at her largely white school, including a sexist dress code and an all-white, all-male reading list, Bex threateningly gives her the first D grade of her life, and she decides that it's time to report him, prompting gossip and ridicule--and disbelief from the school board. The authors write a convincing teen exploring the complex, frequently sexist social norms that girls and women navigate daily. Ages 13--up. (Apr.)

Kirkus Review

A teen has a feminist awakening after being assaulted by her teacher.Marin is a pretty ordinary high school studentshe is navigating senior year and relationships, studying hard to get into her dream school, and aspiring to become a journalist. She and her best friend, Chloe, are co-editors of Bridgewater Prep's school paper, and they spend their free time in the newspaper office with their adviser and favorite teacher, Mr. Beckett. Bex, as all his students call him, is not like other teachershe is young and gregarious and doesn't keep his private life a secret. Both Marin and Chloe think Bex is cute and are a little obsessed with his sex life. After Bex offers Marin a ride home from school and then kisses her without consent, Marin wonders what she did to give him the wrong signals. When neither Chloe nor the school's board believes her, Marin starts fighting back against the unwritten rules for girls. The book shines a light on the pressures of being a girl and the double standards that readers will immediately recognize and appreciate or learn from. The writing is complicated in the way that female friendships can be. Although the authors include a passage about intersectionality, with all major characters seeming to be white, it feels like an afterthought.A light read about a heavy topic. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Marin knows exactly how her senior year is going to go. She'll crush it as editor of the school paper, impress her passionate young English teacher, and score an acceptance to Brown, her dream school. Everything seems to be going according to plan, too--that English teacher, Mr. Beckett, or Bex, is especially encouraging. He tells Marin her writing is mature, gives her rides, and offers to write her a recommendation to Brown. But when he completely crosses a physical line, a horrified Marin reports it, only to find herself with no support. The administration is reluctant to take action, her boyfriend is hostile, and her best friend thinks she's looking for attention. As Bex retaliates, Marin searches for allies and takes matters into her own hands. Like Jennifer Mathieu's Moxie (2017), this is a blistering look at a girl who, when her eyes are opened by an injustice, reacts by taking action. The ground it covers is well-trod in YA, but it's still needed, and readers will be glad for this take from two powerhouse creators.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Bushnell is the columnist behind the megahit-HBO-show-spawning Sex and the City anthology; Cotugno is a NYT best-selling force. Both know a thing or two about girls on the brink of self-discovery. Together, they'll bring out the crowds.

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (4)

School Library Journal Review

Publisher's Weekly Review

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

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