Scan barcode
A review by xangemthelibrarian
What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Man... This one brings me back to my time in middle and high school. Has every girl experienced something like this at that age?
Anna is hardcore the "I'm Not Like Other Girls" stereotype. She didn't like to talk. She prefers books over people, even sitting alone during lunch. She has been told she gets too intense sometimes and is considered weird by many peers. But I feel like she is less a character and more a vehicle for this story.
Rachel Riley's story is absolutely awful. For her to be suddenly ostracized for the events that caused thier 7th grade dance to be cancelled is terrible. But it's a good reminder that middle school in particular seems to be the time when everyone is awful to each other. It's so normal that it's considered a rite of passage into growing up.
Sexual harassment is never okay. Ever. And I think this book is beautiful in the fact that it portrays a realistic portrait of what happens when boys make girls uncomfortable. They aren't believed. The adults in their lives brush them off, so the girls just laugh it off and pretend to be okay. That principal character. My god. I wanted to strangle her each time I read an email from her.
I chose to listening to this as an audiobook because it's supposed to be Anna's Un-Essay project and her podcast submission for a contest. The audiobook format is especially nice in this story because it includes a full cast and sound effects! I adore full-cast productions of audiobooks!
Anna is hardcore the "I'm Not Like Other Girls" stereotype. She didn't like to talk. She prefers books over people, even sitting alone during lunch. She has been told she gets too intense sometimes and is considered weird by many peers. But I feel like she is less a character and more a vehicle for this story.
Rachel Riley's story is absolutely awful. For her to be suddenly ostracized for the events that caused thier 7th grade dance to be cancelled is terrible. But it's a good reminder that middle school in particular seems to be the time when everyone is awful to each other. It's so normal that it's considered a rite of passage into growing up.
Sexual harassment is never okay. Ever. And I think this book is beautiful in the fact that it portrays a realistic portrait of what happens when boys make girls uncomfortable. They aren't believed. The adults in their lives brush them off, so the girls just laugh it off and pretend to be okay. That principal character. My god. I wanted to strangle her each time I read an email from her.
I chose to listening to this as an audiobook because it's supposed to be Anna's Un-Essay project and her podcast submission for a contest. The audiobook format is especially nice in this story because it includes a full cast and sound effects! I adore full-cast productions of audiobooks!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment