What Kind of Girl is a book that arrived at my house last week. I must have preordered it, but it was a nice surprise to see in my mailbox!
What Kind of Girl is a very interesting story that deals with domestic violence and the impact that has on the victim / romantic partner, friends and family. There are some mature parts to this story, but the message is a very important one, I think it would be appropriate for mature grade 8 students and secondary students.
The story begins when the most popular student and track star - Mike Parker's girlfriend tells the Principal that Mike has hit her and she has the bruise to prove it. But the rest of the school is confused. Why would she stay with him if he was hitting her? Why didn't she go to the police? Will this have an impact on Mike's scholarship potential? How could such a great guy do something like this. As a result of this, the school becomes divided. Some of the girls want him expelled from school, his friends are defending him and accusing his girlfriend of lying. And his girlfriend? She is conflicted as well, why did she stay? What will she do without him? How will she move forward from this? What kind of girl does this make her?
I really enjoyed reading this story. Sheinmel has a really interesting way of writing these different characters and I like how complex the story was. The characters seemed so real and interesting, and they are not perfect. They are all dealing with flaws and the stress of being a teenager.
Just as a warning, this story does deal with mental health issues such as: bulimia, self-harm (cutting) drug use. I think it is a great book, I would just be aware of the audience who is reading it.
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