Something Girl

by Beth Goobie

Sophie is in a lot of trouble. She is on probation for stealing and is doing poorly at school. Her mom doesn’t really talk to her, and the other adults in her life are pressuring Sophie to talk about her bruises. Sophie worries that if she tells, she will be sent to live in a group home. Her friend Jujube is the only person who knows the truth, and now Jujube, too, wants Sophie to speak up.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Abuse, Fiction, Book Club, Ebooks, Teen

112 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Beth Goobie is best known for her quirky and dark young adult novels. She's published several of them, beginning in 1994. Her novel Before Wings won the Canadian Library Association's Young Adult Book Award in 2000, and was chosen by young readers for the Best Books list of the American Library Association.Much of the turmoil in Goobie's life has been laid bare in two books for adult readers, Scars of Light, which is autobiographical poetry, and The Only-Good Heart, a book of short stories. Both are built on the theme of cults, abuse, and emotional torture. They were, she says, both therapeutic for herself and a warning to others.

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. After seeing so many high praises for Goobie's later releases, I'm a little taken aback by how much I disliked this. Because in a nutshell...this sucked. I hardly ever say that & feel bad especially because this deals with the sensitive subject of parental abuse, but I can think of a hundred books with this theme before I'd recommend SOMETHING GIRL.

Let's start with the MC, Sophie. Supposedly she's fifteen, but has the naivety of a child. I seriously thought she was in elementary school, certainly not high school! The only thing to remind you of her "teenage-ness" is that she has a probation officer because of the petty theft of lipstick & cigarettes. Sophie uses "really" & "I guess" way too often for me not to overlook the immaturity of the writing. Perhaps Goobie's prose gets better with time, but I'm not seeing it here. There were times I was actually cringing at how juvenile everything was & how the events played out.

This is labeled as YA, which gives me the chuckles. At 116 pages, I don't expect much of a storyline but I do expect something better than "She seems pretty normal. Maybe a bit tough- she had a couple of tattoos, but she wasn't a freak or weirdo." With statements like these, I'm surprised Sophie hasn't been living under a rock. She makes several disrespectful remarks about individuals in group homes, because she thinks they are all freaks. In fact, this is one of her reasons for why she doesn't want to speak up. I get the anxiety of change & unfamiliarity, but to make assumptions when you're not that great yourself is just a crack of calling the kettle black. Not something I want in my reading.

Getting to the abuse- Sophie's father is physically & emotionally abusive & all Sophie desires is to figure out how she can get him to love her. This aspect is minimal & cliche: she keeps quiet; he finally goes over the edge; she's hospitalized; she decides to tell; everything changes; the end. I don't feel that these things were described enough & rushed so that Sophie could have a future without her father. With no plot line other than Sophie finally speaking up, there is nothing to fuel the reader through. This is basically a 101 What is Abuse? pamphlet thrown together in a fictionalized tale. Teens are way past the discovery of abuse & the way that this is handled is not remarkable in the slightest.

I hate pissing on authors & not finding ONE redeemable thing in the story because it takes an incredible amount of courage & hard work to even pen a tale, but seriously? This is all we get? And to be frank, I would have HATED if someone gave me this book a decade+ ago. Sophie is a very unlikable MC & it makes it seem like abuse is such a trivial thing. Don't you know- with a flick of your wrist, your life will get better if you speak to a social worker! Please. This wouldn't have made me speak up, rather just hang my head in shame & hide in the closet. Ugh. I understand that books portraying abuse & the people that can help you is so important, I do, but there are plenty of other books that handle the subject with poise & grace. This was just a complete waste of time.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super good and short book. I couldn't believe how much I could truely relate to it and the things that this poor girl was going through. Child abuse is a terrible thing, but there will always be people there for you who are willing to take the time to care and help you out. From this book, I've realized just that and I am so glad that this girl finally did the right thing. People often deserve so much more than they take! But this book shows that things can deffinatly change for the better once you figure out what is best for you in any given situation.

[Sandy Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to an 8th grader who struggles with reading. I have appreciated having books in this Orca series for just those readers. It is short, yes, but it packs a punch and I think there is plenty in here for students to discuss with another if more than one were reading it. In fact, I plan to buy a few more copies so they can read it with a buddy.

[Jessica Maxson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My book something girl is about a girl who gets beat by her dad mostly everyday. The main character is in lots of trouble for stealing. Her dad beats her and her mom doesn’t really talk to her at all. All the adults in Sophie’s life pressure her into talking about her bruises but she doesn’t want to talk about them and get a social worker sent to her house because then her dad would beat her more. I recommend this book to at least teenagers, there is little to no cussing in this book but I feel like older kids could handle the book than younger students. I really enjoyed this book. It had very good detail and very good content. When I read the book it was hard to put it down. I’m not really the type of person to just sit and read a book but I read this book for hours because it was so good and I couldn’t put it down..

[Francisco Moreno]

This book is great it will have you in a point of not wanting to stop reading it

[Kyle Coffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a girl and her name is Sophie. Her best friend is name Jujube. This is a very good book. It has a deep meaning to it. It keeps you on your toes and makes you want to know what it going to happen next. When I first started reading this book I couldn’t stop. I want to know what was going to happen next. It is a sad book but it is really interesting.
Sophie goes through a lot of stuff in this book. She doesn’t want to tell anyone what is going on with her life. She is on probation for stealing and doing bad in school. Her mom doesn't really talk to her at all. Her dad is really mean to her and she only has her friend Jujube that she talks to. Her friend Jujube is very quiet person. She talks about alien a lot. Sophie has a problem right at the beginning of the book and it makes her dad mad. She has this very cool place she goes with Jujube to and they go there to talk. Jujube tries to help Sophie with her problems but Sophie won’t let her help at all. She won’t let anyone help her at all. Sophie has these bruise and she doesn’t tell anyone about it because she doesn’t want to get sent away. Her friend Jujube is the only one that knows what the bruise are from but she doesn’t tell anyone about it. Sophie covers her bruise with her sweater so no one will see them. This is a really good book and you should read it. I like it and I think you should read it. If I had to rate this book out of 5 stars I would say 4 stars.

[Fei K · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Trigger warnings for abuse and low self-esteem*

This book was very sad, but accurately portrays the reality of teenagers living through abusive homes. Sophie is so deeply entrenched in her low self-esteem and negative thinking patterns that it's hard for her to realize that the abuse is not her fault.

I liked that it was short. I noticed that a lot of Beth Goobie's books are short and to the point. It's a great trait for a book, because it definitely does not drag and there are no tedious, boring bits. The characters were nuanced, and the narrator's voice was realistic, if somewhat juvenile. I honestly thought that Sophie was written as if she was much younger than 15.

This is a hopeful story for any kid that thinks that they will never get out of their stuck situation. It also shows that change is not always a bad thing, and that different doesn't mean worse. It can mean better.

[Cody Bernero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have recently read Something Girl. It is not what I had expected it to be, I am not an avid reader by all means, And this book I just could not put down! Sophie is just an average girl, that has been into some trouble for stealing, and her dad is sort've a political figure that everyone thinks is great, but they don't know what he does to Sophie behind closed doors... The book grabs your attention, and makes you realize that no matter what you're going through there is someone who has it worse. This book has a lot of events in it that happen to kids all the time. The only thing I am going to tell you is that Sophie gets beaten by her Dad, The rest of the book is intense and has a lot of action in it.... If you want to know more read the book! I would Highly suggest reading the book if you are into action/ justice books!

[5Chyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its about a girl who is scared of her father and telling the truth about whats really happening. Sophie has just been dumped by her boyfriend and abused by her father and the only person that know what is happening is her only friend Jujube. One night Sophie got hurt so badly by her father, she could barely move,talk,or breath. Jujube helps her friend out and calls the ambulance.....Is Sophie going to tell anyone what really happened??

[Darian Alysa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing felt very juvenile and the MC, Sophie, was supposedly a teen but she felt very much like a young kid.

Sophie not wanting to report her father because she didn’t want to go to a group home since that’s where “weirdos and freaks go” was disrespectful.

In no way would I recommend this if you were trying to bring up the topic of abuse to a teen.

[Gina Schaarschmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This quick read is a good one for kids who just don’t want to commit to a big fat novel. While it fell a bit flat for me, I can see recommending it. I appreciate Orca books; they respect the maturity of the reader while making the text accessible.

[Neža · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ate with no crumbs left.

[ale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straight forward, fácil de leer, con un lindo mensaje. Me agradaron los personajes <3

[TioNNa]

Beth Goobie catches the reader’s attention in the beginning of the story. When she introduces the young 15 year old girl as the a.k.a the stupid girl. She than go into how the girl is facing domestic problems at home The young girl has every chance to report the abuse to her social worker , But fearing her dad will find out about it she keeps it all bottle in . The young girl start off with only one friend who is only eight years old . the little girl dont understand as to why her friend had bruises on her. As the book goes on the little girl neighbor who is also an teenager as well becomes the aka The stupid girl friend. He starts noticing the different bruises and marks the girl have on her body. The girl concerns about foster care is coming to effect throughout the chapters.The tone of the book is based on a serious situation . How the girl was getting beat up by her dad on a daily basis and she's scared to report it to her social worker , because she heard rumors about foster care and how once you in the system people start looking at you differently. The pace of the story is very quick it's never a dull moment in the story. Beth Goobie keeps you on your feet throughout the entire book. As the domestic violence continue it puts the young girl in the hospital where she fighting for her life where she stuck thinking about why her own father treat her so bad. The young girl isn’t the only one getting abuse her mother is also it takes everything in the mom to sit back and watch her child get abuse. Towards the end of the story the mom go into a rehabilitation center that help out with domestic homes. As for the young girl she has to go to a group home into her mom gets the help she needs.The book is towards young adult audience, How if you facing domestic or having problems you should talk to an adult so you can get the right help that you need because sometimes if you try to face them on your own you end up in a bad place. If you or know anybody who is facing domestic violence whether it's in a relationship at home work etc you should seek help. It might be hard but it's people around the world who can help you.

[Hasti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beth Goobie's Something Girl is the powerful story of 15-year-old Sophie, the "stupid, no good, nothing girl." The novel begins with Sophie's being "dumped" by her boyfriend of three months. This does nothing to improve her already poor self-image. Physically abused by her father, she lives in nearly constant fear. She believes that her beatings are her own fault. "My Dad only hits me when I'm bad." While she's having some trouble with school and she's been caught for petty theft, she really wants to be good. She wants to make her dad love her: she just can't figure out how. Sophie's mom, also a victim of her husband's abuse, has withdrawn emotionally, leaving Sophie to wonder why her dad hates her and her mom doesn't talk to her anymore. A concerned teacher and social worker just pose more problems for Sophie. She knows that if people ask too many questions, her father will have to answer their queries. Once he's done that with a good show of normalcy he'll be sure to deal with Sophie, and possibly her mother, in a brutal manner. Sophie may not consciously know it, but she is striving for a change in her circumstances. Some part of her seems to realize that her life has become completely untenable. She can't seem to hide the signs of her abuse. In fact, despite her certainty of reprisal, she seems almost to be drawing attention to the signs of her father's beatings: "Sophie," Ms. Lee said softly. "Why do you have your hand over your arm?" I looked at my arm. My hand was hanging onto the bottom of my sleeve, pulling it down over the bruise. Luckily, Sophie has a true and caring friend in 12-year-old Jujube. Jujube knows the truth behind all of Sophie's bruises. She also believes in aliens and the value of help from "outsiders." One of Jujube's neighbours, Rick, attends Sophie's high school. While Sophie is too insecure even to look Rick in the eye, Jujube has no such inhibitions. She gets Rick talking with Sophie about a number of things, including his friend's life in a group home, the most obvious but unknown, hence frightening escape for Sophie. With Jujube's help, Something Girl comes to a satisfyingly hopeful as well as realistic conclusion.
This book teaches that not all people live a perfect life great book it really takes u into the situtation

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Sophie getting beat by her father. She doesn't want to tell anybody because she is afraid of the outcome. Her father leaves bruises and beats her all the time. He tells her she's a nothing girl and worthless and calls her all kinds of names. She had had meetings with her probation officer every 2 weeks for stealing. One time her dad had beat her so bad she ran off to her fort and Jujube came and she ran and called and ambulance. Then the ambulance took her away to the hospital. It turns out her dad had always beat her mom too. She finally confessed and they got a restraining order on her dad. Her mom had went to a home for 4 months to get help and Shopie went to a group home until her mom got out. I liked how the story kept you interested. I liked the setting of the story. I also liked the good detail of the father when he got mad. I dislike how the father beat Sophie and her mother. I recommend this book for people that can relate to the situation or people that like serious type of books.

[Kamaya Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The genre of my book is realistic fiction. It is realistic fiction because it could possibly happen in real life (hopefully it doesn't) Sophie's boyfriend larry breaks up with her for another girl. Sophie is heartbroken from it. then when Sophie comes home late her dad hits her and bangs her head against things and throws chairs and stuff at her. her friend jujube is the only person that knows what happens to her . jujubes mom starts to found out what happens. the counsulor that Sophie sees finds out about Sophie's dad hitting her. she takes her out of the house and puts her in some type of foster/group home.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars because it was a easy read and because it had a really good plot. Also because i like to read stories that could possibly happen in real life.

i recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about drama or abuse.

[Danalky · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book "Something Girl" by Beth Goobie was an amazing book.This book was about a girl named Sophie.In the past Sophie had stolen lipstick,chocolate bars and cigarettes.That caused her to be on probation.She has to meet with her probation officer "Ms. Lee" every two weeks.Her father beats her constantly and bruises her.Her 12 year old friend "Jujubee" believes that Sophie should tell the truth about how she really gets her bruises, but Sophie is too afraid of her father.So that means that someone else has to tell for her.Will they do anything about this or just let her live with her father and allow the beatings?
I really enjoyed this book.I think the author taught me that these types of things happen in our everyday lives.I would recommend this book because this book tells you about what you need to take risks in order to goon in life.I would recommend this book to anyone i feel this book will entertain anyone.

[Silveri · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really love this book so much. This book is about a 15-year-old girl name Sophie, the "stupid, no good, nothing girl." The novel begins with Sophie's being "dumped" by her boyfriend.he is on probation for stealing and is doing poorly at school. Her mom doesn't talk to her, and the other adults in her life are pressuring Sophie to talk about her bruises. Sophie worries that if she tells, she will be sent to live in a group home. Her friend Jujube is the only person who knows the truth, and now Jujube, too, wants Sophie to speak up.This book is amazing read it you going to want to read it again and again i really love it ......... fast and fun to read.This was a super good and short book. I couldn't believe how much I could truely relate to it and the things that this poor girl was going through

[Emily]

Something Girl by Beth Goobie is a good book about a girl names sophie that things shes a bad daughter and thats why her dad hits her.
This book is a good book that i can relate to sometimes when i get in trouble i feel like im noting for my parents thats exactly how sophie feels about herself.
Sophie has always been beaten by her father, but she thinks its her fault he hits her but he really has anger issues. She does not want to tell anyone because shes scared he might do something to her and her mom but her friend tells.
This book is sad in the beginning but at the end its nice to known sophie and her mom are okay. Something girl is an amazing book to read and also see what some people go through.

[Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sad book it made me cry a little because this girl was getting abused by her father for no reason.He would tell her she was clueless and stupid and a nothing girl. He would kick her and punch until she had bruises on her body and it was hard for her to move. And every time she would go to school and the teachers would she the bruises they would call DHR and they would go over to her house talk to her parents and then when they leave he would beat her harder.But one night he hurt her so hard that she couldnt move. They had to call the ambuliance and she was in the hostipal. And come to find out her mom was getting beat and her mom didnt think that her daughter was. But this is a really good book. I would read this again.

[Elena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something Girl, by Beth Goobie, is about a 15 year old girl (Sophie), who gets physically abused by her father. Her mother, unable to stop the madness, is a depressed alcoholic. In the town, her father is an extremely respected member of parliment, but at home is a violent maniac. Sophie only has one person who understands her, her 12 year old neighbour, JuJube. After a particularly intense attack from her dad, Sophie is put into hospital. Are Sophie and her mother given justice, or does the abusive madness continue?
The storyline of this book is decent, but the writing is boring and repetitive.

[Louisapenka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something Girl was a good book! It's about a girl named Sophie and right at the beginning of the book, her boyfriend Larry breaks up with her, so she's upset about that, but trys to forget about it. Her dad comes of as a good dad, but when it's just Sophie and him, she's always getting hit or something. She thinks she's nothing and not good, since that's what her dad tells her all the time. Her bestfriend is Jujubi and younger than her. This is one of her only friends. Will she tell someone about her abusive father, or no? Now, i don't want to give the whole book away, read it!!!

[bjneary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Physical abuse is heaped upon Sophie by her father. She feels like she is a no one--stupid, no good, nothing girl and if she is better, her father will love her and not beat her or her mother. Her mother has become so beaten down, she now drinks and looks out the window and doesn't see her daughter's bruises and pain. But thanks to her best friend's vigilance---Sophie will come to understand---it is her father's problem that he beats her----she doesn't deserve it! But she almost loses her life in the process.

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to my seventh grade class. It's a short, low lexile book with high interest. They really enjoyed it. It only took us three days to get through because it's so short, but the kids were very interested and wanted to check out more books from the library that were similar to "Something Girl." The book is about a girl in an abusive home who realizes that she is something instead of nothing. I don't want to go into more detail because it is very short and simple and anything more would give it all away.

[Saraoxenfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a girl about her dad that did child abuse
so she tells lies to friends and teachers
she scared to tell anyone that her dad would be mad if she told on him. so she ends in a hospital
because of her dad so she had a neck brace on her
she could not move she was scared when her dad was coming in her room what he would do so her dad had to stay away from her he kissed her
on her forehead
so she goes in a group home for four mounths so she was unconformable meting new friends

[Tinsley Tullos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. It had a great story, but I felt like it was a little to easy to read. This book is perfect for a quick read kinda thing. I was so happy when Sophie and her mother got to free from her dad. It was really sad that Sophie was convinced that her dad beat her and didnt love her because of something she did. I was so glad when Sophie's friend Jujubee told the nurse that her father was beating her.

[Shaquita · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is so powering and strong it has all the meanings of abuse to young teens who have been abused .... then finally got away from it to all who has had abusive relationships with parents boyfriends or anything you are very strong .......... this book is about how her dad is abusive and how he beats her when she does something wrong or something ......so if this book sounds good i inspire anybody to read this ..... this book is for boys and girls does not matter adult or young adult

[Dawn Prokop · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a short read this was a very engaging book. It is a wonderful example of YA literature, providing teens with a glimpse of the troubling life of living in an abusive home. However, this story is not about wrapping the narrative up with a pretty bow, but to show us how a story's conclusion will continue long after we're allowed to witness it. This story is not about ending one story, but merely showing how one begins.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Orca Sounding books because they're always such a quick read while not shying away from tackling difficult and complicated topics.  I liked that this book was a quick read, however, the characters weren't as well fleshed out as they could have been.  Despite that, the story was really compelling and emotional.  You really feel for Sophie as she deals with her father's abuse.  Her thoughts and actions felt really realistic.