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carlyxdeexx's review against another edition
2.0
Alright, this book was a bit rough for me.
I don’t like ragging on tween stereotypes and tone and habits and hobbies. We were all tweens once. Our tween writing was not its best, but it was certainly passionate. Our tween voices were earnest and misguided and opinionated and figuring themselves out. Our tween lives were insulated.
Tween-ness is necessary and in its own way, beautiful and special. It’s goofy and quirky. It is exactly what it is.
This book is written from the perspective of Nikki, a tween, completely first person and confessional, like you’re cracking open her diary, down to the lined pages and handwritten-style font. It has cute drawn pictures and lots of smiley faces and exclamation points.
I thought this veered into a caricature of feminine tweenhood. But at the same time, my diary probably did read something like this in middle school. BUT, I can posit that to some degree, my diary read that way because I knew that was “how it should read,” because that’s how Lizzie McGuire (for example) would write it. And I think this book’s voice directly pulls from that, and it’s a bit much. It’s powerful. And stereotypical. A lot of “OMG!!!” and “UGHHH!!!” etc. etc.
Which on its own, isn’t the worst. But there’s a lot that comes with it that maybe needs to be updated or done away with as a better example for middle grade readers.
Like the “dork” concept. Nikki is supposed to be an average “dorky” girl. Meaning in the school hierarchy, she isn’t “popular” (though she seems to have lots of friends). She’s picked on by a “popular” girl, Mackenzie, who is supposedly better off financially than Nikki, and who is very concerned with her appearance. She tries to be “cool,” which she achieves by belittling others so she appears/feels better than them. Nikki often makes fun of Mackenzie’s spray tan, and feels justified in being mean to her because Mackenzie’s mean to everyone. Nikki’s insults are supposed to be sweet vengeance. Mackenzie deserves what she gets as the “villain” of the story.
Sounds very familiar.
This is so old. It’s tired. And it’s just toxic. If we keep writing it, that feeds into its perpetuation. Nikki isn’t a good example of someone dealing with a school bully. Mackenzie’s spray tan has nothing to do with how mean she is! Do we have to write narratives in this black-and-white, dork VS queen bee format? High school hierarchies are likely very well still a thing, but they aren’t that simple, and the way “dorks” are taught to cope isn’t good. It’s very anti-femme, very “not-like-other-girls,” it obscures what the issue actually is, which is belittling others because they’re different from you. For the longest time, this framework really shaped me. As much as I thought I was “just being me,” I knew I actively didn’t want to be “popular.” Because “popular” is “mean.” It’s “dumb.” It’s “shallow.” I thought I was better than that.
And all of that is just so simplified. And so wrong.
I’m looking forward to talking to my cousin about this book. About the cool parts, like the fairytale references, Nikki’s relationship with her sister at the end, Snow White’s wheelchair, and the power of writing in a character’s first person voice.
But also about the not-cool parts. Like why being a dork and being popular aren’t fixed categories, aren’t exclusive, and don’t define any one person. How people are more than what their hair looks like and where they get their clothes and whether or not they have a spray tan.
I don’t like ragging on tween stereotypes and tone and habits and hobbies. We were all tweens once. Our tween writing was not its best, but it was certainly passionate. Our tween voices were earnest and misguided and opinionated and figuring themselves out. Our tween lives were insulated.
Tween-ness is necessary and in its own way, beautiful and special. It’s goofy and quirky. It is exactly what it is.
This book is written from the perspective of Nikki, a tween, completely first person and confessional, like you’re cracking open her diary, down to the lined pages and handwritten-style font. It has cute drawn pictures and lots of smiley faces and exclamation points.
I thought this veered into a caricature of feminine tweenhood. But at the same time, my diary probably did read something like this in middle school. BUT, I can posit that to some degree, my diary read that way because I knew that was “how it should read,” because that’s how Lizzie McGuire (for example) would write it. And I think this book’s voice directly pulls from that, and it’s a bit much. It’s powerful. And stereotypical. A lot of “OMG!!!” and “UGHHH!!!” etc. etc.
Which on its own, isn’t the worst. But there’s a lot that comes with it that maybe needs to be updated or done away with as a better example for middle grade readers.
Like the “dork” concept. Nikki is supposed to be an average “dorky” girl. Meaning in the school hierarchy, she isn’t “popular” (though she seems to have lots of friends). She’s picked on by a “popular” girl, Mackenzie, who is supposedly better off financially than Nikki, and who is very concerned with her appearance. She tries to be “cool,” which she achieves by belittling others so she appears/feels better than them. Nikki often makes fun of Mackenzie’s spray tan, and feels justified in being mean to her because Mackenzie’s mean to everyone. Nikki’s insults are supposed to be sweet vengeance. Mackenzie deserves what she gets as the “villain” of the story.
Sounds very familiar.
This is so old. It’s tired. And it’s just toxic. If we keep writing it, that feeds into its perpetuation. Nikki isn’t a good example of someone dealing with a school bully. Mackenzie’s spray tan has nothing to do with how mean she is! Do we have to write narratives in this black-and-white, dork VS queen bee format? High school hierarchies are likely very well still a thing, but they aren’t that simple, and the way “dorks” are taught to cope isn’t good. It’s very anti-femme, very “not-like-other-girls,” it obscures what the issue actually is, which is belittling others because they’re different from you. For the longest time, this framework really shaped me. As much as I thought I was “just being me,” I knew I actively didn’t want to be “popular.” Because “popular” is “mean.” It’s “dumb.” It’s “shallow.” I thought I was better than that.
And all of that is just so simplified. And so wrong.
I’m looking forward to talking to my cousin about this book. About the cool parts, like the fairytale references, Nikki’s relationship with her sister at the end, Snow White’s wheelchair, and the power of writing in a character’s first person voice.
But also about the not-cool parts. Like why being a dork and being popular aren’t fixed categories, aren’t exclusive, and don’t define any one person. How people are more than what their hair looks like and where they get their clothes and whether or not they have a spray tan.
destinyyyzz's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
reyesreadingreview's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
midnightfiction's review against another edition
4.5
tbh it was so fun & im a sucker for anything fantasy w princesses and stuff LOL so this was a good read also mackenzie getting detention at the end was soooo real like finally 😭
sunnysaebo's review against another edition
4.0
had fun + feel like an italian genius thank you rachel renee russell
kennedy_reads_a_lot's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Cute little middle grade novel! Very fun, finished in one sitting.