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Cette Fille est Différente
Cette fille différente, c’est Évie (on vous épargne son vrai nom, inventé par sa mère). Elle a été scolarisée à domicile, dans une maison durable que sa mère et elle ont construite pour y vivre en autonomie, avec poules et vache.
Avant de s’inscrire dans l’université de ses rêves – Cornell, dans l’État de New York –, Évie souhaite fréquenter d’autres jeunes et se familiariser avec le système scolaire. C’est ainsi qu’elle débarque à seize ans dans les couloirs obscurs d’un lycée absolument banal... Banal pour les étudiants qui sont formatés depuis leur enfance à trouver tout normal, mais pas pour Évie, qui vit son année scolaire comme une expérience ethnographique et pose des questions qui dérangent sur la discrimination, le respect, l’abus de pouvoir, les inégalités sociales, la liberté d’expression... Ce qui lui vaudra, dans un premier temps, une certaine popularité, mais fera ensuite fuir jusqu’à ses plus proches amis.
Quelle serait votre attitude si un de vos amis proches avait une relation avec un de vos professeurs ? Et si vous étiez avec 10 autres personnes sur une barque prête à couler, qui jetteriez-vous par dessus bord ? Dans ce roman, Évie nous invite à nous remettre en question. Presque à chaque chapitre, le lecteur se fait la réfléxion « mais c’est vrai, au fond ! ce n’est pas normal, ça ! ». Évie pose un regard neuf sur tout, et ose se plaindre de ce qu’elle trouve injuste. Ce qui est rare... mais pas sans coût.
Le roman aborde des thèmes porteurs (l’écologie, les inégalités sociales, la liberté d’expression...) sur fond d’amitié et d’amour.
Avant de s’inscrire dans l’université de ses rêves – Cornell, dans l’État de New York –, Évie souhaite fréquenter d’autres jeunes et se familiariser avec le système scolaire. C’est ainsi qu’elle débarque à seize ans dans les couloirs obscurs d’un lycée absolument banal... Banal pour les étudiants qui sont formatés depuis leur enfance à trouver tout normal, mais pas pour Évie, qui vit son année scolaire comme une expérience ethnographique et pose des questions qui dérangent sur la discrimination, le respect, l’abus de pouvoir, les inégalités sociales, la liberté d’expression... Ce qui lui vaudra, dans un premier temps, une certaine popularité, mais fera ensuite fuir jusqu’à ses plus proches amis.
Quelle serait votre attitude si un de vos amis proches avait une relation avec un de vos professeurs ? Et si vous étiez avec 10 autres personnes sur une barque prête à couler, qui jetteriez-vous par dessus bord ? Dans ce roman, Évie nous invite à nous remettre en question. Presque à chaque chapitre, le lecteur se fait la réfléxion « mais c’est vrai, au fond ! ce n’est pas normal, ça ! ». Évie pose un regard neuf sur tout, et ose se plaindre de ce qu’elle trouve injuste. Ce qui est rare... mais pas sans coût.
Le roman aborde des thèmes porteurs (l’écologie, les inégalités sociales, la liberté d’expression...) sur fond d’amitié et d’amour.
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2011
19 people are currently reading
1543 people want to read
About the author
J.J. Johnson
3 books202 followersJ.J. Johnson is an educator and author. She grew up in a small town in central New York and attended Binghamton University, where she studied History and began her ongoing solidarity and social-justice activism.
After working with teens in service-learning projects, J.J. continued her education, earning a Master of Education from Harvard University, concentrating on adolescent risk and prevention, with a focus on systems of oppression, harm repair, and social justice.
She is the author of THIS GIRL IS DIFFERENT, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, and BELIEVAREXIC (all from Peachtree Publishers). Her books have won numerous awards and have been translated into six languages. She also writes on Substack -- Notes from an Unruly Quaker.
J.J. loves to meander, read, hike, dance, laugh, and eat. She provides academic support coaching at a micro high school and is dedicated to radical compassion, nonviolence, and restorative justice. She lives with her husband, son, and rescued dog in North Carolina; her mother lives next door. There are lots of flowers and a Little Free Library in their front yard.
After working with teens in service-learning projects, J.J. continued her education, earning a Master of Education from Harvard University, concentrating on adolescent risk and prevention, with a focus on systems of oppression, harm repair, and social justice.
She is the author of THIS GIRL IS DIFFERENT, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, and BELIEVAREXIC (all from Peachtree Publishers). Her books have won numerous awards and have been translated into six languages. She also writes on Substack -- Notes from an Unruly Quaker.
J.J. loves to meander, read, hike, dance, laugh, and eat. She provides academic support coaching at a micro high school and is dedicated to radical compassion, nonviolence, and restorative justice. She lives with her husband, son, and rescued dog in North Carolina; her mother lives next door. There are lots of flowers and a Little Free Library in their front yard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 244 reviews
August 28, 2011
I finished reading this book over a month ago, and I'm still at a loss on how to review it. I had a great time reading it, I really wanted to know how it ends, but I had nothing important to say about it afterwards. So instead of the usual review, I’ll just try to write down a few things that might help you decide whether you want to read it or not:
• This Girl Is Different made me smile a lot. It wasn’t laugh out loud funny, but it was cute and endearing. It grabbed my attention on the first page, and I stayed interested until the end, even though it was sadly predictable.
• First person narrative, present tense. This would normally bother me, but in this case it didn't.
• Most of the plot revolves around high school policies and student rights.
• The main character, Evie, acted self-righteously throughout most of the book. I found her superior behavior to be annoying at best, intolerable at worst. Her heart may have been in the right place, but her lack of experience led to disastrous results. For someone so ready to point out the flaws of others, she was far too reluctant to admit her own mistakes.
• There was, however, a character I liked, but she wasn’t around nearly as much as I’d hoped she would be. Jacinda was smart, strong and funny and she made Evie pale in comparison.
• Evie and her mother lived in a sustainable home. It was pretty interesting to read about.
• Evie’s love interest, Rajas, made me hate him so much that I honestly didn’t want them to end up together. You’ll have to read it to find out if I got my wish.
• There were no love triangles in this story.
• Our heroine refused to shave her legs. (What?! That's very important!)
All in all, This Girl Is Different was a pretty enjoyable read, but it certainly wasn't memorable.
• This Girl Is Different made me smile a lot. It wasn’t laugh out loud funny, but it was cute and endearing. It grabbed my attention on the first page, and I stayed interested until the end, even though it was sadly predictable.
• First person narrative, present tense. This would normally bother me, but in this case it didn't.
• Most of the plot revolves around high school policies and student rights.
• The main character, Evie, acted self-righteously throughout most of the book. I found her superior behavior to be annoying at best, intolerable at worst. Her heart may have been in the right place, but her lack of experience led to disastrous results. For someone so ready to point out the flaws of others, she was far too reluctant to admit her own mistakes.
• There was, however, a character I liked, but she wasn’t around nearly as much as I’d hoped she would be. Jacinda was smart, strong and funny and she made Evie pale in comparison.
• Evie and her mother lived in a sustainable home. It was pretty interesting to read about.
• Evie’s love interest, Rajas, made me hate him so much that I honestly didn’t want them to end up together. You’ll have to read it to find out if I got my wish.
• There were no love triangles in this story.
• Our heroine refused to shave her legs. (What?! That's very important!)
All in all, This Girl Is Different was a pretty enjoyable read, but it certainly wasn't memorable.
June 15, 2016
Evie je tinejdžerica koja se upravo sprema krenuti u zadnji razred srednje škole. Za Evie je to prilično velik korak, budući da nikada ranije nije išla u školu, već se školovala kod kuće. Školovanje kod kuće nije, pritom, i jedina stvar zbog koje će se Evie razlikovati od većine svojih vršnjaka i budućih školskih kolega: Evie je odrasla samo s majkom, koja ju je naučila da uvijek bude samouvjerena, emancipirana, slobodoumna i samostalna; da uvijek kaže ono što misli i da se bori za svoja uvjerenja, čak i u naizgled bezizglednim situacijama, te da nikad, baš nikad, ne odustane od onog što što želi.
Dolaskom u školu, Eve se po prvi puta susreće sa svime onime što je njenim vršnjacima već odavna dobro poznato: zadaće, zabave, dobri i loši profesori, predmeti koje voliš i predmeti s kojima te tlače, srednjoškolska prijateljstva i suparništva, simpatije i ljubavi. Na prvi pogled, Evie sve to izgleda pomalo zastrašujuće, ali ona si neće dopustiti da ju početni strah obeshrabri. Oboružana novim prijateljima i novim entuzijazmom, Evie će iskusiti sve čari srednjoškolskog života i sustava, što će ju možda malo i promijeniti, ali će istodobno i utjecaj njenog snažnog karaktera na sve oko nje potaknuti neke promjene i u samom tom sustavu.
Ova je knjiga, baš kao i njena naslovna djevojka, ponešto drukčija od uobičajenih romana za mlade. Naravno, i ovdje imamo sve ono što čini tipičan teen roman: mladenačke ljubavi i prijateljstva, školske brige, vječna rivalstva popularnih i nepopularnih, itd. No, ono što ovaj roman čini ne-tipičnim su njegovi likovi (na čelu s Evie), malo drugačiji pogled na tipične tinejdžerske probleme odrastanja i uklapanja u novu sredinu, te, na kraju, i poruke koje nosi.
Umjesto da se fokusira samo na probleme (ne)popularnosti, (ne)uklapanja, romantične zavrzlame i druge probleme koji su sve nas svojedobno mučili u tim godinama, ovaj roman dotiče i pregršt vrlo važnih tema i pitanja, poput prekoračivanja ovlasti pojedinih profesora ili same škole, neprimjerenog ponašanja profesora i učenika, verbalnog maltretiranja i zlostavljanja (koliko god ono možda bilo nenamjerno), te zloupotrebljavanja inicijalno dobrih i pravednih ideja. On se također bavi pitanjem do kuda smo spremni ići da bi ostvarili i/ili obranili svoja prava, ali i vječnim pitanjem opravdava li cilj sredstvo. Pri tome, ovaj roman u prvi plan izvlači važnu poruku: da je važno boriti se za svoja uvjerenja i ne odustajati od svojih principa, ali ne na štetu drugih, te da je važno, ako se ispostavi da si pogriješio, stati i priznati svoju pogrešku i, po mogućnosti, tu pogrešku pokušati ispraviti.
Za razliku od drugih romana za mlade, koji također uvijek ističu važnost prijateljstva i prihvaćanja drugačijih od sebe, ovaj roman, osim toga, ističe i neke druge važne teme, poput feminizma, eko-osviještenosti, odgovornosti za ono što činiš, aktivizma i spremnosti da čvrsto stojiš iza svojih uvjerenja. Evie nije samo drugačija jer se razlikuje od drugih, ona je drugačija i jer to prihvaća i jer se time ponosi; na svoje razlike ne gleda kao na nešto zbog čega se neće uklopiti, već na nešto što ju čini posebnom, drugačijom. A ono što mi se najviše svidjelo u ovom romanu je to što se ovdje na tu 'drugačijost' ne gleda kao na nešto negativno niti čudno - ovo je prvi roman u kojem glavni lik zbog svoje različitosti nije automatski strpan u kategoriju 'nepopularnih', 'čudaka', ili čega već. Evie je potpuno svoja i potpuno dosljedna od početka do kraja, a njezini prijatelji i njezini kolege to prihvaćaju, čak ju zbog toga nerijetko i cijene ili joj se dive. Naravno da tu ipak zna biti i trzavica i nesuglasica, ali one su potpuno marginalne.
Svidjelo mi se i isticanje borbe za svoja prava, nečega za što mislim da je posebno bitno da bude što češće istaknuto u knjigama za mlade, kako bi naučili prepoznati situacije u kojima se trebaju za svoja prava izboriti i kako bi, kad i ako taj trenutak dođe, bili spremni to učiniti. Super mi je to što ova knjiga blago ide protiv konformizma i prepuštanja; što poručuje da je sasvim ok biti drugačiji, te, više od svega, što prikazuje feminizam onakav kakav je, a ne kao neku čudnovatu maglovitu riječ koje se ljudi često skanjuju. Ista stvar je i ekološkom osviještenosti. Zaista sjajno uklopljeni pojmovi u priču koja ima velik potencijal da o njima podigne svijest svojim mladim čitateljima.
Centar priče je sama Evie, koja bi se kao filozofski nastrojen lik tinejdžera koji promišlja o svijetu oko sebe (i to često na način zbog kojeg se doima kao puno starija no što jest), sjajno ukopila u neki roman Johna Greena, iako Evie, za razliku od Greenovih uobičajenih likova tinejdžera-filozofa koji su često oblikovani bez neke stvarne pozadine, tu pozadinu ima. Jako mi se svidjela Evie, i voljela bih čitati o više takvih likova.
Jedina stvar koja mi je malo nedorečena u cijeloj ovoj priči je način na koji je Evie krenula u svoju borbu, odnosno, nije mi baš bilo posve jasno kako je svojom akcijom naumila doći do cilja i što bi taj cilj u biti točno bio. Tu su stvari malo zamršene i nekako ne baš jasno ispričane, ali ne u tolikoj mjeri da nije jasno što se htjelo u globalu, više je kao neka greška u koracima. Ako ste pročitali, možda znate na što mislim, ako niste, vjerojatno vam i ovaj moj komentar djeluje malo zbrčkano, jel' da? Nema veze. :)
Zaključak je sljedeći: i ova djevojka, i ova knjiga, definitivno su drukčiji od uobičajenog, i to u vrlo, vrlo pozitivnom smislu. Tu i tamo postoji možda neka nedorečenost, ali ona je posve zanemariva. Važna poruka i važne teme o kojima ovaj roman progovara već su preporuka sama za sebe da ga se pročita, a to što je, uz sve to, on i zabavan i zanimljiv, samo je dodatni bonus. Iako je namijenjen mladima, ne vidim niti jedan razlog zbog kojeg ga ne bi mogao ili htio pročitati baš svatko. Treba nam više ovakvih romana i ovakvih likova. Definitivno.
Dolaskom u školu, Eve se po prvi puta susreće sa svime onime što je njenim vršnjacima već odavna dobro poznato: zadaće, zabave, dobri i loši profesori, predmeti koje voliš i predmeti s kojima te tlače, srednjoškolska prijateljstva i suparništva, simpatije i ljubavi. Na prvi pogled, Evie sve to izgleda pomalo zastrašujuće, ali ona si neće dopustiti da ju početni strah obeshrabri. Oboružana novim prijateljima i novim entuzijazmom, Evie će iskusiti sve čari srednjoškolskog života i sustava, što će ju možda malo i promijeniti, ali će istodobno i utjecaj njenog snažnog karaktera na sve oko nje potaknuti neke promjene i u samom tom sustavu.
Ova je knjiga, baš kao i njena naslovna djevojka, ponešto drukčija od uobičajenih romana za mlade. Naravno, i ovdje imamo sve ono što čini tipičan teen roman: mladenačke ljubavi i prijateljstva, školske brige, vječna rivalstva popularnih i nepopularnih, itd. No, ono što ovaj roman čini ne-tipičnim su njegovi likovi (na čelu s Evie), malo drugačiji pogled na tipične tinejdžerske probleme odrastanja i uklapanja u novu sredinu, te, na kraju, i poruke koje nosi.
Umjesto da se fokusira samo na probleme (ne)popularnosti, (ne)uklapanja, romantične zavrzlame i druge probleme koji su sve nas svojedobno mučili u tim godinama, ovaj roman dotiče i pregršt vrlo važnih tema i pitanja, poput prekoračivanja ovlasti pojedinih profesora ili same škole, neprimjerenog ponašanja profesora i učenika, verbalnog maltretiranja i zlostavljanja (koliko god ono možda bilo nenamjerno), te zloupotrebljavanja inicijalno dobrih i pravednih ideja. On se također bavi pitanjem do kuda smo spremni ići da bi ostvarili i/ili obranili svoja prava, ali i vječnim pitanjem opravdava li cilj sredstvo. Pri tome, ovaj roman u prvi plan izvlači važnu poruku: da je važno boriti se za svoja uvjerenja i ne odustajati od svojih principa, ali ne na štetu drugih, te da je važno, ako se ispostavi da si pogriješio, stati i priznati svoju pogrešku i, po mogućnosti, tu pogrešku pokušati ispraviti.
Za razliku od drugih romana za mlade, koji također uvijek ističu važnost prijateljstva i prihvaćanja drugačijih od sebe, ovaj roman, osim toga, ističe i neke druge važne teme, poput feminizma, eko-osviještenosti, odgovornosti za ono što činiš, aktivizma i spremnosti da čvrsto stojiš iza svojih uvjerenja. Evie nije samo drugačija jer se razlikuje od drugih, ona je drugačija i jer to prihvaća i jer se time ponosi; na svoje razlike ne gleda kao na nešto zbog čega se neće uklopiti, već na nešto što ju čini posebnom, drugačijom. A ono što mi se najviše svidjelo u ovom romanu je to što se ovdje na tu 'drugačijost' ne gleda kao na nešto negativno niti čudno - ovo je prvi roman u kojem glavni lik zbog svoje različitosti nije automatski strpan u kategoriju 'nepopularnih', 'čudaka', ili čega već. Evie je potpuno svoja i potpuno dosljedna od početka do kraja, a njezini prijatelji i njezini kolege to prihvaćaju, čak ju zbog toga nerijetko i cijene ili joj se dive. Naravno da tu ipak zna biti i trzavica i nesuglasica, ali one su potpuno marginalne.
Svidjelo mi se i isticanje borbe za svoja prava, nečega za što mislim da je posebno bitno da bude što češće istaknuto u knjigama za mlade, kako bi naučili prepoznati situacije u kojima se trebaju za svoja prava izboriti i kako bi, kad i ako taj trenutak dođe, bili spremni to učiniti. Super mi je to što ova knjiga blago ide protiv konformizma i prepuštanja; što poručuje da je sasvim ok biti drugačiji, te, više od svega, što prikazuje feminizam onakav kakav je, a ne kao neku čudnovatu maglovitu riječ koje se ljudi često skanjuju. Ista stvar je i ekološkom osviještenosti. Zaista sjajno uklopljeni pojmovi u priču koja ima velik potencijal da o njima podigne svijest svojim mladim čitateljima.
Centar priče je sama Evie, koja bi se kao filozofski nastrojen lik tinejdžera koji promišlja o svijetu oko sebe (i to često na način zbog kojeg se doima kao puno starija no što jest), sjajno ukopila u neki roman Johna Greena, iako Evie, za razliku od Greenovih uobičajenih likova tinejdžera-filozofa koji su često oblikovani bez neke stvarne pozadine, tu pozadinu ima. Jako mi se svidjela Evie, i voljela bih čitati o više takvih likova.
Jedina stvar koja mi je malo nedorečena u cijeloj ovoj priči je način na koji je Evie krenula u svoju borbu, odnosno, nije mi baš bilo posve jasno kako je svojom akcijom naumila doći do cilja i što bi taj cilj u biti točno bio. Tu su stvari malo zamršene i nekako ne baš jasno ispričane, ali ne u tolikoj mjeri da nije jasno što se htjelo u globalu, više je kao neka greška u koracima. Ako ste pročitali, možda znate na što mislim, ako niste, vjerojatno vam i ovaj moj komentar djeluje malo zbrčkano, jel' da? Nema veze. :)
Zaključak je sljedeći: i ova djevojka, i ova knjiga, definitivno su drukčiji od uobičajenog, i to u vrlo, vrlo pozitivnom smislu. Tu i tamo postoji možda neka nedorečenost, ali ona je posve zanemariva. Važna poruka i važne teme o kojima ovaj roman progovara već su preporuka sama za sebe da ga se pročita, a to što je, uz sve to, on i zabavan i zanimljiv, samo je dodatni bonus. Iako je namijenjen mladima, ne vidim niti jedan razlog zbog kojeg ga ne bi mogao ili htio pročitati baš svatko. Treba nam više ovakvih romana i ovakvih likova. Definitivno.
July 4, 2011
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
So that’s what Mean Girls would have been like were it not for Ms Fey.
High Points.
A heroine who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. Homeschooling (a concept that, I guess, does exist in the UK but I’ve never met anyone who has been!) The environment. Diversity. Teenage rebellion, a particular weakness of mine. Really intriguing issues brought up that I haven’t read about in a YA book. The quotes at the beginning of the chapters- they were lovely and I wrote a few down in my quote book that I own. Because this girl is different.
Low Points.
OK… right well. I don’t want to say ‘Where to start?’ because that would be cruel. And even though I do have a lot of things to say about this book… I did enjoy this book, kinda. It provided me with a lot of laughter and, as long as you didn’t take it seriously, it was perfectly harmless.
But anyway… where to start?
Evie, I’ll elaborate in the heroine section, but she managed to simultaneously annoy me and also feel like I was single-handedly destroying the world. Quite a feat, eh?
This book had something to say… and boy did it say it. It’s safe to say that about 75% I had no idea what was going on in regards to the high school politics/blogs/Burn Book.... I mean… um, lightning strikes. The really intriguing issues brought up that I haven’t read about in a YA book….? Wow….well 100 Brownie points for the idea but I’m going to take them off you for execution.
And…. Deep breaths Jo…. The love interest. THE LOOOOOVE INTEREST. But more on this later.
Heroine.
Oh Evie. Evening Mornindew or whatever it is your terrifying mum called you. I once knew a girl like you (well OK, not really… she was like a 5th of the crazy that you were but she still annoyed me, so imagine how I felt about you.) She would walk around finding drama and injustice in every corner of the world and strive, strive, striiiiive to get it fixed. I’m not knocking her action- because I believe that people should stand up and speak out- but come onnn. You’re in high school. There is plenty of time to do that kind of stuff when you leave. Maybe it’s just me… (although Rajas, lover boy, agrees with me “It just…is what it is, you know?”)
I imagine Evie to be the friend of a friend who sometimes sits with you at dinner and talks the entire time about how awful the world is and everyone just sits there in stunned silence before nibbling their Dairylea sandwiches awkwardly.
I respected Evie for standing up for herself and her fellow students but it annoyed me how naïve and inconsistent she was. She wanted to go to high school for her final year so she could experience it before going to college and she’s all giddy because she’s seen every John Hughes film and she has based her expectations on American schools on that (So far, so me). But then when she gets to school and sees that it’s not actually like that, she gets all mental and starts petitioning about everything and talking back to teachers AND THEN wonders why she keeps getting all these detentions. Um… haven’t you seen The Breakfast Club?!
Also… seriously Evie, I know you haven’t been around boys a lot because you’ve been living in a bubble (literally… they live in a bubble) but do not lose your mind when a boy talks to you… even if he does look like a “crunchier, leaner version of Kumar from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”. I don’t even know what that means…. Or that I want to.
Which brings me, reluctantly dragging my feet and foaming at the mouth, to....
Love Interest.
Rajas. I really liked you. You were cute, sweet, you love a ramshackle old car which you know is one of my greatest weaknesses and, I won’t lie to you, I’d probably have fancied you if you went to my high school (and we got around the fact that you were in an all girl’s school) and you were, well.. um, real.
But most importantly… you were patient. Which was important in this book. Because all the girls were INSANE.
I think I’m going to crown Evie as the Queen of Insta-Love. Yes, it was cute that he rescued you from a ravine or whatever hole you’d fell down… but that does not mean you are in love with him because you can see drops of sweat forming on the back of his neck. And you should probably not tell a boy you’re in love with that you don’t shave your legs. It’s just plain weird, no wonder he looked stricken.
BUT- even though this love story had dramatic ups and downs that Kathy and Heathcliff would have been proud of- the majority of my laughs did come from this section and it’s not because it was bad writing, just because I am cynical and twisted. I’ll leave you with my favourite quote from this book: “But the way I feel about Rajas. It makes me soft and exposed, like a raw oyster. My protective shell has been shucked. And then tossed out to sea. And then sucked away with a riptide.”
Oh to be young and in love….
Best Friend.
Again, Jacinda… I liked you, even though you also caught the crazy bug that apparently was being fed into the water system at this high school. You were intelligent, you were ambitious and you are a cheerleader. I also liked your story line, even if it did get looked over a little. I thought the bits that we did see (except maybe the ending) were portrayed realistically and I would’ve loved to have found out more about your situation.
You did say the word ‘like’ approximately a gabillion times. But I’ll let you off…. Because you’re a cheerleader and you have a mean streak. Eep.
Theme Tune.
Sprawl II- Arcade Fire.
OK, I wanted to choose a song about the environment, because Evie liked preserving the environment and I do too. Except in comparison to Evie, I practically run around cutting rainforests, coaxing cows to fart more and I put my tin cans in the green bin instead of the blue bin… for giggles. But, I liked this about Evie and I can imagine her and her mother dancing around their bubble to this.
Angst Level.
9/10. Normally when a book is so full of boy-induced angst, I ignore it. But it was impossible to ignore it in this book, thankfully, because it made my day. There is a lot of ‘WHY ME?!’ rants that went on for most of the book that also bumped up the angst scale.
However, there were quite a few issues that were bubbling under the surface that, unfortunately, were only hinted at but still shocked me. I think this book would have reached me on a deeper level if Ms Johnson had chosen to explore some of these issues that were either forgotten about or unresolved towards the end.
Recommended For.
People who have always wondered what people who are home schooled are really like. People who fall in love with every boy they see, especially the crunchy lean ones. People who like wood tech classes. People who have ever wondered what it would be like to, literally, take a roll in the hay. People who roll their eyes at the people who actually answer the rhetorical questions that the teachers write on the boards, suck ups. People who secretly hope think that American High Schools are really that cliquey and OTT. People who like their love stories with lots of unnecessary, but highly amusing angst (I’m honestly considering getting ‘Cheese grater of love’ tattooed on my fod) People who don’t understand that permanent records are… um, well… permanent. People who can read the words ‘This girl is different’ at least 9 times in a book without punching things. People who base their expectations of America on John Hughes’ films (I’ve been to America twice and this has never happened to me… I’M WAITING, AMERICA!) People who like to use Harry Potter insignia to point out social injustice.
I received this book from Peachtree Publishers via Netgalley.
You can also read the review for this book and others and a whole lot of other exciting stuff on my blog here.
So that’s what Mean Girls would have been like were it not for Ms Fey.
High Points.
A heroine who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. Homeschooling (a concept that, I guess, does exist in the UK but I’ve never met anyone who has been!) The environment. Diversity. Teenage rebellion, a particular weakness of mine. Really intriguing issues brought up that I haven’t read about in a YA book. The quotes at the beginning of the chapters- they were lovely and I wrote a few down in my quote book that I own. Because this girl is different.
Low Points.
OK… right well. I don’t want to say ‘Where to start?’ because that would be cruel. And even though I do have a lot of things to say about this book… I did enjoy this book, kinda. It provided me with a lot of laughter and, as long as you didn’t take it seriously, it was perfectly harmless.
But anyway… where to start?
Evie, I’ll elaborate in the heroine section, but she managed to simultaneously annoy me and also feel like I was single-handedly destroying the world. Quite a feat, eh?
This book had something to say… and boy did it say it. It’s safe to say that about 75% I had no idea what was going on in regards to the high school politics/blogs/Burn Book.... I mean… um, lightning strikes. The really intriguing issues brought up that I haven’t read about in a YA book….? Wow….well 100 Brownie points for the idea but I’m going to take them off you for execution.
And…. Deep breaths Jo…. The love interest. THE LOOOOOVE INTEREST. But more on this later.
Heroine.
Oh Evie. Evening Mornindew or whatever it is your terrifying mum called you. I once knew a girl like you (well OK, not really… she was like a 5th of the crazy that you were but she still annoyed me, so imagine how I felt about you.) She would walk around finding drama and injustice in every corner of the world and strive, strive, striiiiive to get it fixed. I’m not knocking her action- because I believe that people should stand up and speak out- but come onnn. You’re in high school. There is plenty of time to do that kind of stuff when you leave. Maybe it’s just me… (although Rajas, lover boy, agrees with me “It just…is what it is, you know?”)
I imagine Evie to be the friend of a friend who sometimes sits with you at dinner and talks the entire time about how awful the world is and everyone just sits there in stunned silence before nibbling their Dairylea sandwiches awkwardly.
I respected Evie for standing up for herself and her fellow students but it annoyed me how naïve and inconsistent she was. She wanted to go to high school for her final year so she could experience it before going to college and she’s all giddy because she’s seen every John Hughes film and she has based her expectations on American schools on that (So far, so me). But then when she gets to school and sees that it’s not actually like that, she gets all mental and starts petitioning about everything and talking back to teachers AND THEN wonders why she keeps getting all these detentions. Um… haven’t you seen The Breakfast Club?!
Also… seriously Evie, I know you haven’t been around boys a lot because you’ve been living in a bubble (literally… they live in a bubble) but do not lose your mind when a boy talks to you… even if he does look like a “crunchier, leaner version of Kumar from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”. I don’t even know what that means…. Or that I want to.
Which brings me, reluctantly dragging my feet and foaming at the mouth, to....
Love Interest.
Rajas. I really liked you. You were cute, sweet, you love a ramshackle old car which you know is one of my greatest weaknesses and, I won’t lie to you, I’d probably have fancied you if you went to my high school (and we got around the fact that you were in an all girl’s school) and you were, well.. um, real.
But most importantly… you were patient. Which was important in this book. Because all the girls were INSANE.
I think I’m going to crown Evie as the Queen of Insta-Love. Yes, it was cute that he rescued you from a ravine or whatever hole you’d fell down… but that does not mean you are in love with him because you can see drops of sweat forming on the back of his neck. And you should probably not tell a boy you’re in love with that you don’t shave your legs. It’s just plain weird, no wonder he looked stricken.
BUT- even though this love story had dramatic ups and downs that Kathy and Heathcliff would have been proud of- the majority of my laughs did come from this section and it’s not because it was bad writing, just because I am cynical and twisted. I’ll leave you with my favourite quote from this book: “But the way I feel about Rajas. It makes me soft and exposed, like a raw oyster. My protective shell has been shucked. And then tossed out to sea. And then sucked away with a riptide.”
Oh to be young and in love….
Best Friend.
Again, Jacinda… I liked you, even though you also caught the crazy bug that apparently was being fed into the water system at this high school. You were intelligent, you were ambitious and you are a cheerleader. I also liked your story line, even if it did get looked over a little. I thought the bits that we did see (except maybe the ending) were portrayed realistically and I would’ve loved to have found out more about your situation.
You did say the word ‘like’ approximately a gabillion times. But I’ll let you off…. Because you’re a cheerleader and you have a mean streak. Eep.
Theme Tune.
Sprawl II- Arcade Fire.
OK, I wanted to choose a song about the environment, because Evie liked preserving the environment and I do too. Except in comparison to Evie, I practically run around cutting rainforests, coaxing cows to fart more and I put my tin cans in the green bin instead of the blue bin… for giggles. But, I liked this about Evie and I can imagine her and her mother dancing around their bubble to this.
Angst Level.
9/10. Normally when a book is so full of boy-induced angst, I ignore it. But it was impossible to ignore it in this book, thankfully, because it made my day. There is a lot of ‘WHY ME?!’ rants that went on for most of the book that also bumped up the angst scale.
However, there were quite a few issues that were bubbling under the surface that, unfortunately, were only hinted at but still shocked me. I think this book would have reached me on a deeper level if Ms Johnson had chosen to explore some of these issues that were either forgotten about or unresolved towards the end.
Recommended For.
People who have always wondered what people who are home schooled are really like. People who fall in love with every boy they see, especially the crunchy lean ones. People who like wood tech classes. People who have ever wondered what it would be like to, literally, take a roll in the hay. People who roll their eyes at the people who actually answer the rhetorical questions that the teachers write on the boards, suck ups. People who secretly hope think that American High Schools are really that cliquey and OTT. People who like their love stories with lots of unnecessary, but highly amusing angst (I’m honestly considering getting ‘Cheese grater of love’ tattooed on my fod) People who don’t understand that permanent records are… um, well… permanent. People who can read the words ‘This girl is different’ at least 9 times in a book without punching things. People who base their expectations of America on John Hughes’ films (I’ve been to America twice and this has never happened to me… I’M WAITING, AMERICA!) People who like to use Harry Potter insignia to point out social injustice.
I received this book from Peachtree Publishers via Netgalley.
You can also read the review for this book and others and a whole lot of other exciting stuff on my blog here.
October 26, 2018
Reseña completa: https://letraslibrosymas.blogspot.com...
Si os gustan las novelas juveniles de instituto, con protagonistas reivindicativas y que trata temas de actualidad esta novela os encantará.
La pluma de la autora es exquisita, sabe transmitir todo lo que siente la protagonista, consigue hasta que te pongas en su piel y además que te vuelvas adicta a su historia. No solo es muy ágil y amena la narración, sino que da importancia a temas importantes como el acoso escolar, la discriminación, la educación pública, la democracia o el racismo -entre otros muchos temas- en una novela juvenil que de primeras no parece gran cosa. También hay temas más juveniles como la amistad, las primeras experiencias o el amor, una amalgama interesante y que resulta muy atractiva para el lector.
Si os gustan las novelas juveniles de instituto, con protagonistas reivindicativas y que trata temas de actualidad esta novela os encantará.
La pluma de la autora es exquisita, sabe transmitir todo lo que siente la protagonista, consigue hasta que te pongas en su piel y además que te vuelvas adicta a su historia. No solo es muy ágil y amena la narración, sino que da importancia a temas importantes como el acoso escolar, la discriminación, la educación pública, la democracia o el racismo -entre otros muchos temas- en una novela juvenil que de primeras no parece gran cosa. También hay temas más juveniles como la amistad, las primeras experiencias o el amor, una amalgama interesante y que resulta muy atractiva para el lector.
October 4, 2015
The title should have tipped me off that this book was not for me, but it didn't because I didn't know the context in which it would pertain to the story. As it turns out it meant that I would absolutely abhor the main character, Evie, and everything she does. I have never before so actively pulled for a character to fail.
One of my biggest peeves in life is someone who has to perpetually point out how different they are and every time she said it to herself I wanted to throw the book. She gets everything she wants and deserves none of it and repeatedly shows she doesn't grow at all. Her self-righteousness and obnoxious continued belief that she is smarter and more evolved than everyone she meets- as well as how closed minded she is when it comes to learning from others made me find her absolutely despicable. For someone who claims to be a feminist, she repeatedly judges other girls in a negative way just for being unlike her. She is everything that, to me, gives feminism a bad name with a lot of people. I only continued to read it because I hoped some lesson and major fallout would be pressed upon her but it wasn't. Instead we see that we should all love her, and I wished I hadn't wasted my time reading about someone I hated so much.
She repeatedly only thinks her actions might be wrong when they impact her which...ugh. I was actually angry that she got to be happy at the end, which I am pretty sure wasn't supposed to be the case, but my God she was an awful human being with a self-importance complex.
One of my biggest peeves in life is someone who has to perpetually point out how different they are and every time she said it to herself I wanted to throw the book. She gets everything she wants and deserves none of it and repeatedly shows she doesn't grow at all. Her self-righteousness and obnoxious continued belief that she is smarter and more evolved than everyone she meets- as well as how closed minded she is when it comes to learning from others made me find her absolutely despicable. For someone who claims to be a feminist, she repeatedly judges other girls in a negative way just for being unlike her. She is everything that, to me, gives feminism a bad name with a lot of people. I only continued to read it because I hoped some lesson and major fallout would be pressed upon her but it wasn't. Instead we see that we should all love her, and I wished I hadn't wasted my time reading about someone I hated so much.
She repeatedly only thinks her actions might be wrong when they impact her which...ugh. I was actually angry that she got to be happy at the end, which I am pretty sure wasn't supposed to be the case, but my God she was an awful human being with a self-importance complex.
October 30, 2016
Kada sam prvi puta vidjela ovu knjigu, imala sam osjećaj da bi se moglo raditi o nečem vrlo zanimljivom. Sada mi je jako drago što mi se sasvim slučajno pružila prilika da je i pročitam. Pošto sam i sama učiteljica, ova tema mi je bila i više nego zanimljiva. Bilo je vrlo zabavno i inspirirajuće družiti se s Evie, mladom, pametnom i neustrašivom djevojkom koja ustraje u svom naumu da promijeni svijet oko sebe na bolje. Prava priča o prijateljstvu i snazi da pomičemo granice.
Read
October 25, 2018Vídeo reseña en https://youtu.be/UWkFvnJHYAI el 25 oct 2018.
Nos encontramos con un libro dirigido al público infantil/juvenil, pero como muchos libros que pertenecen al género juvenil, pienso que puede ser leído por un adulto y disfrutarlo igual o más. En este caso, creo que una persona adulta lo puede disfrutar muchísimo porque lo va a transportar de vuelta al mundo del instituto, de los amigos, los primeros amores, las primeras rebeliones al creer que en el mundo hay injusticias que pueden ser resultas plantando cara... ¿Quién de nosotros no se ha metido en follones al plantar cara a un profesor por defender a un compañero, por ejemplo? Eso es algo que me pasó a mi, y ver en este libro la idea de que los profesores a veces abusan de su "poder" es una cosa que me ha hecho acordarme de ello.
Uno de los puntos que me ha parecido genial del libro, es que hace referencia a cosas actuales, como películas como "Avatar" y cosas por el estilo. Hace poco me leí un libro de Blue Jeans en donde van a un concierto de Ed Sheeran, y pienso que detalles como estos, hacen que el lector se pueda sentir más relacionado con la narración, que lo viva como algo más cercano.
El hecho de que nos encontremos dosis de humor e ironía también es algo que aprecio en el libro, y es algo que ya podemos ver desde las primeras páginas, en donde la protagonista, Evie, está en la montaña cazando serpientes para su colección, y tiene un accidente y además se queda incomunicada. La manera que tiene de describir la situación es lo que hizo que me enganchase al libro por completo cuando lo hojeé. Esa irónica resignación "a quedarse ahí hasta quién sabe cuándo su madre se pueda dar cuenta", porque el móvil la ha dejado tirada... No tarda en encontrarse con alguien que la ayuda, y entonces seguimos aprendiendo más cosas de ella a medida que el libro avanza.
Hay cosas que me han parecido curiosas, porque uno puede pensar que es el típico libro en el que la protagonista empieza el instituto y se enamora del chico de turno, y tiene problemas con las típicas cheerleaders y todo eso, pero a pesar de que tiene los "problemas" y las situaciones vividas por alguien que empieza el instituto, y que obvio incluye el tema de nuevos amigos, del bullying, de un chico que le llama la atención y todo eso, también nos encontramos ante cosas dispares, como vivir en una casa "eco friendly" en donde tienen su huerto, ¡con vaca incluida!, y no necesitan la figura del hombre para sacarles las castañas del fuego. Ya sabemos desde este momento que nos encontramos ante un personaje algo atípico, aunque acabe enamorándose de un chico sobre el que me han quedado dudas... ¿la merece? porque a veces parece como si se avergonzase de ella al "esconder" su relación de los demás, o cuando intenta convencerla para ir a la cama... Supongo que es parte de la "evolución" del personaje, y para que podamos ver a las cosas a las que se enfrenta en este nuevo mundo en el que empieza.
Una de las cosas que a mi personalmente me parece interesante del libro, es que a veces ella hace algo con buena intención, pero el resultado no es el esperado. A veces parece que a la gente de su alrededor le falte también un poco de sangre al ver delante suyo una injusticia y no hacer nada para evitarlo o protestar, aunque sea quizás el modo de demostrar como esas cosas se van "normalizando": el profe que abusa de un alumno insultándolo, la falta de libertad para expresarse, etc, y que, personalmente, no creo que debieran estarlo.
Pero lo que logra la autora del libro es hacernos pensar sobre ello, ver una persona que se rebela y que a veces la pifia aún más porque no tiene experiencia, o no sabe cómo hacerlo bien; y entonces intenta solucionarlo, y al final, nos deja a nosotros el margen de decidir si lo que está sucediendo es correcto o no, sin dar la autora la solución o discurso moral. Esto me ha gustado, aunque, como ya he dicho, me da rabia que a veces la persona que levanta la voz para defender a los demás, o para tener libertad de expresión, sea la que acabe metiéndose en líos, aunque a veces esa persona también puede parecernos un poco "pesada" (más cuando hable de los personajes a continuación).
Los personajes me han parecido bien resueltos, con sus rasgos particulares, y sobretodo me ha llamado la atención esta chica tan guerrera, tan diferente como reza el título, en la historia. Pienso que lanza un buen mensaje de no dejarse pisar por nadie y defender los propios ideales, y en el caso de en las veces en que se equivoca, arreglar el entuerto. Porque ella tampoco es perfecta, tiene sus manías y sus cosas, y en ocasiones, esa necesidad que tiene de señalar lo que está mal puede acabar poniéndote de los nervios.
La figura de su novio es un personaje que sí que me ha parecido más típico, más de no pensar con la cabeza y sí con otras partes... ejem... y no me gusta como a veces la ningunea...
Jacinda, la amiga aventurera y abierta es un personaje que en ocasiones, puede incluso eclipsar a Evie. Es un personaje que creo que aporta mucha dinámica, y que no te extraña que sean amigas, por como reza el refrán, son "tal para cual".
Y ya sólo nos queda hablar de la narrativa, la cual encuentro fluida y adictiva, y el hecho de que encontremos humor, ironía, y referencias más o menos actuales a películas y a series de televisión, hace que sea más amena, y para los jóvenes supongo que les hace más sencillo el relacionarse/implicarse con la lectura.
Sí que es cierto que a veces el carácter de Evie y ese afán de encontrar injusticias cada dos páginas puede acabar resultando cargante, pero me lo he tomado como un libro entretenido, que te plantea injusticias y como una adolescente puede reaccionar cuando se obsesiona con ellas.
Nos encontramos con un libro dirigido al público infantil/juvenil, pero como muchos libros que pertenecen al género juvenil, pienso que puede ser leído por un adulto y disfrutarlo igual o más. En este caso, creo que una persona adulta lo puede disfrutar muchísimo porque lo va a transportar de vuelta al mundo del instituto, de los amigos, los primeros amores, las primeras rebeliones al creer que en el mundo hay injusticias que pueden ser resultas plantando cara... ¿Quién de nosotros no se ha metido en follones al plantar cara a un profesor por defender a un compañero, por ejemplo? Eso es algo que me pasó a mi, y ver en este libro la idea de que los profesores a veces abusan de su "poder" es una cosa que me ha hecho acordarme de ello.
Uno de los puntos que me ha parecido genial del libro, es que hace referencia a cosas actuales, como películas como "Avatar" y cosas por el estilo. Hace poco me leí un libro de Blue Jeans en donde van a un concierto de Ed Sheeran, y pienso que detalles como estos, hacen que el lector se pueda sentir más relacionado con la narración, que lo viva como algo más cercano.
El hecho de que nos encontremos dosis de humor e ironía también es algo que aprecio en el libro, y es algo que ya podemos ver desde las primeras páginas, en donde la protagonista, Evie, está en la montaña cazando serpientes para su colección, y tiene un accidente y además se queda incomunicada. La manera que tiene de describir la situación es lo que hizo que me enganchase al libro por completo cuando lo hojeé. Esa irónica resignación "a quedarse ahí hasta quién sabe cuándo su madre se pueda dar cuenta", porque el móvil la ha dejado tirada... No tarda en encontrarse con alguien que la ayuda, y entonces seguimos aprendiendo más cosas de ella a medida que el libro avanza.
Hay cosas que me han parecido curiosas, porque uno puede pensar que es el típico libro en el que la protagonista empieza el instituto y se enamora del chico de turno, y tiene problemas con las típicas cheerleaders y todo eso, pero a pesar de que tiene los "problemas" y las situaciones vividas por alguien que empieza el instituto, y que obvio incluye el tema de nuevos amigos, del bullying, de un chico que le llama la atención y todo eso, también nos encontramos ante cosas dispares, como vivir en una casa "eco friendly" en donde tienen su huerto, ¡con vaca incluida!, y no necesitan la figura del hombre para sacarles las castañas del fuego. Ya sabemos desde este momento que nos encontramos ante un personaje algo atípico, aunque acabe enamorándose de un chico sobre el que me han quedado dudas... ¿la merece? porque a veces parece como si se avergonzase de ella al "esconder" su relación de los demás, o cuando intenta convencerla para ir a la cama... Supongo que es parte de la "evolución" del personaje, y para que podamos ver a las cosas a las que se enfrenta en este nuevo mundo en el que empieza.
Una de las cosas que a mi personalmente me parece interesante del libro, es que a veces ella hace algo con buena intención, pero el resultado no es el esperado. A veces parece que a la gente de su alrededor le falte también un poco de sangre al ver delante suyo una injusticia y no hacer nada para evitarlo o protestar, aunque sea quizás el modo de demostrar como esas cosas se van "normalizando": el profe que abusa de un alumno insultándolo, la falta de libertad para expresarse, etc, y que, personalmente, no creo que debieran estarlo.
Pero lo que logra la autora del libro es hacernos pensar sobre ello, ver una persona que se rebela y que a veces la pifia aún más porque no tiene experiencia, o no sabe cómo hacerlo bien; y entonces intenta solucionarlo, y al final, nos deja a nosotros el margen de decidir si lo que está sucediendo es correcto o no, sin dar la autora la solución o discurso moral. Esto me ha gustado, aunque, como ya he dicho, me da rabia que a veces la persona que levanta la voz para defender a los demás, o para tener libertad de expresión, sea la que acabe metiéndose en líos, aunque a veces esa persona también puede parecernos un poco "pesada" (más cuando hable de los personajes a continuación).
Los personajes me han parecido bien resueltos, con sus rasgos particulares, y sobretodo me ha llamado la atención esta chica tan guerrera, tan diferente como reza el título, en la historia. Pienso que lanza un buen mensaje de no dejarse pisar por nadie y defender los propios ideales, y en el caso de en las veces en que se equivoca, arreglar el entuerto. Porque ella tampoco es perfecta, tiene sus manías y sus cosas, y en ocasiones, esa necesidad que tiene de señalar lo que está mal puede acabar poniéndote de los nervios.
La figura de su novio es un personaje que sí que me ha parecido más típico, más de no pensar con la cabeza y sí con otras partes... ejem... y no me gusta como a veces la ningunea...
Jacinda, la amiga aventurera y abierta es un personaje que en ocasiones, puede incluso eclipsar a Evie. Es un personaje que creo que aporta mucha dinámica, y que no te extraña que sean amigas, por como reza el refrán, son "tal para cual".
Y ya sólo nos queda hablar de la narrativa, la cual encuentro fluida y adictiva, y el hecho de que encontremos humor, ironía, y referencias más o menos actuales a películas y a series de televisión, hace que sea más amena, y para los jóvenes supongo que les hace más sencillo el relacionarse/implicarse con la lectura.
Sí que es cierto que a veces el carácter de Evie y ese afán de encontrar injusticias cada dos páginas puede acabar resultando cargante, pero me lo he tomado como un libro entretenido, que te plantea injusticias y como una adolescente puede reaccionar cuando se obsesiona con ellas.
March 31, 2016
Zaista mislim da se život ne svodi na ono što si mogao biti. Život se svodi samo na ono što si pokušao. Ne pogađa me neuspjeh, ali nezamislivo mi je da bih sebi oprostio što nisam pokušao. (Nikki Giovanni)
Kao što ste primjetili, analizu sam počela sa citatom. Citati se spominju na početku svakog poglavlja, te su izuzetno važni Evie, njezinoj majci, te jednom od profesora. A vjerujete, i meni se sviđa uz ovakvu knjigu pročitat nešto novo, te prepisat koji citat u svoju bilježnicu.
Ova djevojka je drugačija je prvijena J.J. Jonson, a sam knjiga najavljuje drukčiju knjigu i djevojku. Za nekoga možda normalna teen priča (ništa novoga, sve šo se baš može očekivati), a za nekoga knjiga koja će ga uvući u svoj svijet, srednjoškolski, važno je naglasiti.
Pošto je Evie djevojka koja je drukčija, ona je ipak školovana kod kuće, ali je odlučila svoje školovanje završiti u školi. Njezina majka, koju zove imenom, je to nasvala istraživanje.
Ipak, Evie, naviknuta na srednjoškolske filmove nije uspjela doživjeti sve što je njima, možda je našla prijatelja, i svoju munju, ali nije očekivala toliku NEPRAVDU.
Vjerujem da je svaka osoba koja pročita, a i ne pročita ovu analizu doživjela nepravdu, te je imala dva izbora, izboriti se za sebe ili se samo okrenuti.
E, pa Evie je drukčija, učini će ono što bi malo ljudi učinilo, a vi pretpostavite što?
Evie, drukčija jer u kupoli nema tv, ali ima pčele, kravu i kokoši.
Evie, koja je rođena na čudnijem mjestu nego mi svi zajedno.
Evie, koja su svojem mailu spominje mir i pravdu.
Evie, koja je spremna za revoluciju.
Smatram da je ova knjiga zanimljiva, te nas uči o borbi za same sebe, za druge, te kako prihvatiti svoje greške. Moramo također shvatiti da ljudi samo zato što su drukčiji nisu manje vrijedni od nedrukčijih. Preporučila bi ovu knjigu svakome tko bi se želio opustiti, a nakon toga sam sa sobom početi raspravu što je zapravo drukčije, dobro za nas, te što može učiniti u ovom svijetu.
Kao što ste primjetili, analizu sam počela sa citatom. Citati se spominju na početku svakog poglavlja, te su izuzetno važni Evie, njezinoj majci, te jednom od profesora. A vjerujete, i meni se sviđa uz ovakvu knjigu pročitat nešto novo, te prepisat koji citat u svoju bilježnicu.
Ova djevojka je drugačija je prvijena J.J. Jonson, a sam knjiga najavljuje drukčiju knjigu i djevojku. Za nekoga možda normalna teen priča (ništa novoga, sve šo se baš može očekivati), a za nekoga knjiga koja će ga uvući u svoj svijet, srednjoškolski, važno je naglasiti.
Pošto je Evie djevojka koja je drukčija, ona je ipak školovana kod kuće, ali je odlučila svoje školovanje završiti u školi. Njezina majka, koju zove imenom, je to nasvala istraživanje.
Ipak, Evie, naviknuta na srednjoškolske filmove nije uspjela doživjeti sve što je njima, možda je našla prijatelja, i svoju munju, ali nije očekivala toliku NEPRAVDU.
Vjerujem da je svaka osoba koja pročita, a i ne pročita ovu analizu doživjela nepravdu, te je imala dva izbora, izboriti se za sebe ili se samo okrenuti.
E, pa Evie je drukčija, učini će ono što bi malo ljudi učinilo, a vi pretpostavite što?
Evie, drukčija jer u kupoli nema tv, ali ima pčele, kravu i kokoši.
Evie, koja je rođena na čudnijem mjestu nego mi svi zajedno.
Evie, koja su svojem mailu spominje mir i pravdu.
Evie, koja je spremna za revoluciju.
Smatram da je ova knjiga zanimljiva, te nas uči o borbi za same sebe, za druge, te kako prihvatiti svoje greške. Moramo također shvatiti da ljudi samo zato što su drukčiji nisu manje vrijedni od nedrukčijih. Preporučila bi ovu knjigu svakome tko bi se želio opustiti, a nakon toga sam sa sobom početi raspravu što je zapravo drukčije, dobro za nas, te što može učiniti u ovom svijetu.
January 9, 2011
This Girl Is Different was a breath of fresh air, as much as it irritated the crap out of me.
Having been homeschooled for years, Evie's ready to go to school for real. Along the way she befriends a girl (Jacinda) and a boy (Rajas). School turns out to be not so cool afterall. Evie's used to eating selfmade organic foods & drinks, milking cows, feeding the (piranha) chickens, drawing snakes, living in a geodesic dome and calling her mother "Martha", it's quite a shock to discover teachers being romantically involved with students and being sexist that Evie decides to do something about it.
The three (Evie, Jacinda, Rajas) of them cobble together a blog writing about the abuse of these authorities anonymously in the name of justice, but soon things start to get out of control ...
On the one hand Evie was seriously awesome and admirable for standing up to authorities doing her thing without being overbearing (BTW: look out for those quotes at the beginning of each chapter!), but then ... I don't know, I seriously began to doubt her, when it came to (sex-crazed jerk) Rajas (Yah, not really a spoiler, as the sparks fly in first couple of pages), backstabbing friends and her easily granting forgiveness.
Anyway, there were some things which haven't actually been resolved with the ending of the book, but I guess that's fine.
Well, find out for yourself. (Or not)(Whatever)
Having been homeschooled for years, Evie's ready to go to school for real. Along the way she befriends a girl (Jacinda) and a boy (Rajas). School turns out to be not so cool afterall. Evie's used to eating selfmade organic foods & drinks, milking cows, feeding the (piranha) chickens, drawing snakes, living in a geodesic dome and calling her mother "Martha", it's quite a shock to discover teachers being romantically involved with students and being sexist that Evie decides to do something about it.
The three (Evie, Jacinda, Rajas) of them cobble together a blog writing about the abuse of these authorities anonymously in the name of justice, but soon things start to get out of control ...
On the one hand Evie was seriously awesome and admirable for standing up to authorities doing her thing without being overbearing (BTW: look out for those quotes at the beginning of each chapter!), but then ... I don't know, I seriously began to doubt her, when it came to (sex-crazed jerk) Rajas (Yah, not really a spoiler, as the sparks fly in first couple of pages), backstabbing friends and her easily granting forgiveness.
Anyway, there were some things which haven't actually been resolved with the ending of the book, but I guess that's fine.
Well, find out for yourself. (Or not)(Whatever)
February 14, 2019
No ha estado mal, pero me ha faltado algo más en esta historia. Y con la protagonista no he llegado a congeniar mucho porque algunas veces la he visto demasiado prepotente en el sentido de que ella siempre llevaba la razón y los demás estaban equivocados en sus convicciones. A pesar de esto, es una lectura amena y entretenida, muy agradable y placentera.
July 12, 2011
First of all i would like to thank Netgalley for giving me the chance to have access and finally to read that book, i hope that my review can be a bit helpful so i can give back at least part of what i have received...
It is obvious that not only "this girl is different" but the whole book itself... Evie is a teenage girl that was raised all those years just by her mother (who never calls her mom) Martha, she lives in "the Dome" a very special house that they have built themselves (along with her uncle) and had never gone to a normal school... Despite the fact that nor Martha herself seems to be highly educated Evie has formed a very bright personality, has a vast knowledge about almost everything except for some things that the majority of the other people of her ages know about... (what is Glee for instance) since she has no television!!!
In the book JJ Johnson is actually teaching us how desperately some things needs to change, that a sort of revolution must begin not only when it comes to education (which is where everything comes from actually) but to almost everything... Besides that we can see how easily this revolution can be complicated and some others can join that in the name of it can cause a whole mess... Things really need to change... this change is against some people's interest that being worried that they can lose much of their power will do everything to stop it...
Evie in my eyes looks to be another version of Mafalda adjusted in the modern world... in the 2010s, she's not afraid to stand out and speak up when she spots something that isn't fair for her environment (whether that's "persons" or "nature itself" regarding what the environment can stand for) no matter who is the one on the other side "debating" her... it can be someone older with the highest education one of her professors for instance but that won't discourage her if she knows she is right.
Starting every chapter there is a quote shown that in most of the cases is written on the blackboard of the "Global View" classroom... In addition to that there are more quotes that are analyzed and connected with the whole plot and we can see that each one of them can have a completely different meaning depending on the one that interpetes them... even the truth itself can be different in each one of us. The story of the book may seem quite simple, a girl goes to school, falling in love for the first time, trying to cope with the real world... but all the references to those quotes give a philosophical "skin" to the novel...
Evie stands out from all the other students not only for positive reasons but in risk of her reputation, her future and at some points even her love life (and though it's stated by herself that love is the supreme value of all and this should be the factor that one must consider before doing anything) refuses to compromise, refuses to settle with the current situation since she knows that things can get much better, some sacrifices must really be done and (as she will find out later) some barriers have to be set and she must be really cautious in everything she will do so things won't be going out of control and in case they do how must she react (how everyone of us should react then) in order to save the day.
There are many parts that i caught myself laughing and this is not so easy to occur for me especially when reading the book... even at the last chapters that at some parts (and that caused a star to my whole review) indicate that Johnson is wrapping up things a bit in a rush and making the end looking like a typical "happy end" of a Hollywood teen movie... the ability of Evie to leave people much older that her speechless is remarkable, so this combined with the fact that she is so naive when it comes to other stuff (dealing with her love life, trying to look good as a girl to others) that can cause her to be humiliated for minor reasons, this whole different dimension being top in some things up and down makes it really colorful and funny...
Overall the book gives hope that there is a chance that the whole world can become a better place and it's up to every single one of us... many people will try to stand in their way, many others can misunderstand our intentions we may find ourselves accused of something bad but if we don't do something and discourage ourselves that something can go wrong it's then that nothing will be right... that's the most certain part of all. If you want things to be different start making a difference by yourself...
I must confess that a power supply issue has ruined my initial review (and my mood as well) so in case some things look scattered here and there it's because i can't really recall if i mentioned them in the current one or the previously one that was gone along with electricity... I guess that lightning can be very powerful and it's not so easy to be protected from it, we all just have to find a way to use it for our benefit.. like generate power out of it :)
It is obvious that not only "this girl is different" but the whole book itself... Evie is a teenage girl that was raised all those years just by her mother (who never calls her mom) Martha, she lives in "the Dome" a very special house that they have built themselves (along with her uncle) and had never gone to a normal school... Despite the fact that nor Martha herself seems to be highly educated Evie has formed a very bright personality, has a vast knowledge about almost everything except for some things that the majority of the other people of her ages know about... (what is Glee for instance) since she has no television!!!
In the book JJ Johnson is actually teaching us how desperately some things needs to change, that a sort of revolution must begin not only when it comes to education (which is where everything comes from actually) but to almost everything... Besides that we can see how easily this revolution can be complicated and some others can join that in the name of it can cause a whole mess... Things really need to change... this change is against some people's interest that being worried that they can lose much of their power will do everything to stop it...
Evie in my eyes looks to be another version of Mafalda adjusted in the modern world... in the 2010s, she's not afraid to stand out and speak up when she spots something that isn't fair for her environment (whether that's "persons" or "nature itself" regarding what the environment can stand for) no matter who is the one on the other side "debating" her... it can be someone older with the highest education one of her professors for instance but that won't discourage her if she knows she is right.
Starting every chapter there is a quote shown that in most of the cases is written on the blackboard of the "Global View" classroom... In addition to that there are more quotes that are analyzed and connected with the whole plot and we can see that each one of them can have a completely different meaning depending on the one that interpetes them... even the truth itself can be different in each one of us. The story of the book may seem quite simple, a girl goes to school, falling in love for the first time, trying to cope with the real world... but all the references to those quotes give a philosophical "skin" to the novel...
Evie stands out from all the other students not only for positive reasons but in risk of her reputation, her future and at some points even her love life (and though it's stated by herself that love is the supreme value of all and this should be the factor that one must consider before doing anything) refuses to compromise, refuses to settle with the current situation since she knows that things can get much better, some sacrifices must really be done and (as she will find out later) some barriers have to be set and she must be really cautious in everything she will do so things won't be going out of control and in case they do how must she react (how everyone of us should react then) in order to save the day.
There are many parts that i caught myself laughing and this is not so easy to occur for me especially when reading the book... even at the last chapters that at some parts (and that caused a star to my whole review) indicate that Johnson is wrapping up things a bit in a rush and making the end looking like a typical "happy end" of a Hollywood teen movie... the ability of Evie to leave people much older that her speechless is remarkable, so this combined with the fact that she is so naive when it comes to other stuff (dealing with her love life, trying to look good as a girl to others) that can cause her to be humiliated for minor reasons, this whole different dimension being top in some things up and down makes it really colorful and funny...
Overall the book gives hope that there is a chance that the whole world can become a better place and it's up to every single one of us... many people will try to stand in their way, many others can misunderstand our intentions we may find ourselves accused of something bad but if we don't do something and discourage ourselves that something can go wrong it's then that nothing will be right... that's the most certain part of all. If you want things to be different start making a difference by yourself...
I must confess that a power supply issue has ruined my initial review (and my mood as well) so in case some things look scattered here and there it's because i can't really recall if i mentioned them in the current one or the previously one that was gone along with electricity... I guess that lightning can be very powerful and it's not so easy to be protected from it, we all just have to find a way to use it for our benefit.. like generate power out of it :)
September 20, 2011
Well, this is absolutely a unique book with a take on homeschooling that doesn't veer into the weird religious road. So that was nice. But THIS GIRL IS DIFFERENT solidified my notion that I just don't like hippies. At all. Martha, Eve's mother, I wanted to beat her to death with her own Birkenstocks. I'm all for people wanting to have a self-sustaining lifestyle and all of that. I think that's fantastic. But those that don't follow it through, complain about "The Man" holding them down and then try to force themselves onto other people, effectively becoming "The Man" (see re: nonconformists conforming to the nonconformist conformity) and piece-mealing their lives to suit them bother the shit out of me. For instance they live in a self-sustaining house but Martha drives a Volkswagen micro bus. Well, they certainly cancel each other out. Or complaining about "The Man" but she doesn't have a problem actually working for one and using it as an outlet to force her ideals down others' throats. It's just a big basket of contradictions that annoyed the ever-loving hell out of me.
But remove Martha from the scene and it really isn't so bad of a story. Eve's a great character. She's strong and sticks to her laurels even though everyone, and I mean everyone, ends up against her. She doesn't waver in the slightest and that makes her such an amazing person. She's extremely intelligent and can go toe to toe with authorities in arguments with viable opinions well above what her classmates could probably offer. While I don't agree with some of her stances (like students being equal to teachers, sorry kids, school isn't a democracy, the teachers aren't your equals and they're not meant to be your friends), I could empathize with a lot of what she stood for (clean bathrooms, teachers not berating and insulting students, better food in the cafeteria, etc.). The majority of her stances weren't unreasonable but the world she grew up in was an extreme so while Eve herself isn't an extreme person, her actions leaned that way because that's how she was taught to handle them. And that came around to bite her in the ass hard.
I really liked how Rajas and Jacinda took Eve under their wing even before Eve got to school. They accepted her for who she was and defended her when she really started to open her mouth. The bounds of their friendships did get tested and both Jacinda and Rajas made themselves look exceptionally human. And I really liked that. They reacted to situations like I believe normal teenagers would react and while it didn't make them look all that great, it made me like the story even more for it's reality. These two characters hold their own.
What kind of tampered my like for the book a bit was the ending. I don't want to spoil but what I will say is that the ending is like something you'd see in your typical teen movie. It pretty much killed the reality of it for me because I felt it was a little too out there to be acceptable. That doesn't mean I didn't like it and I wasn't happy with the ending but in terms of realism, I wasn't buying it.
The main drawing point for me with THIS GIRL IS DIFFERENT is Eve. She's such a fantastic character. You can see how strong she is at the beginning, watch as she crumples under the pressure of school and then builds herself back up towards the end. While she second-guesses herself and why she decided to enter public school, she never wavers from her beliefs. She stands strong even though the entire grain is against her. Your really can't help but admire something like that. I wish more YA had characters like Eve, that show such impeccable strength of character. Granted I do think she's an anomaly. Many teenagers under her kind of duress would have caved, I believe. But she didn't. I didn't find it outside of the norm because of the way Johnson wrote Eve. Her breakdown as her world crumbled was believable enough, and her mother's insistence in staying strong was so vivid, that I could believe it. In this case, growing up so sheltered really helped Eve stay Eve.
If for nothing else, read THIS GIRL IS DIFFERENT for Eve, to read about a truly strong character walk from one end of the plank to another. It is a sweet story, if not a little unbelievable at the end. You'll find yourself taken aback at some points and rooting all of them on at others. It didn't blow my socks off, but it was good nonetheless.
But remove Martha from the scene and it really isn't so bad of a story. Eve's a great character. She's strong and sticks to her laurels even though everyone, and I mean everyone, ends up against her. She doesn't waver in the slightest and that makes her such an amazing person. She's extremely intelligent and can go toe to toe with authorities in arguments with viable opinions well above what her classmates could probably offer. While I don't agree with some of her stances (like students being equal to teachers, sorry kids, school isn't a democracy, the teachers aren't your equals and they're not meant to be your friends), I could empathize with a lot of what she stood for (clean bathrooms, teachers not berating and insulting students, better food in the cafeteria, etc.). The majority of her stances weren't unreasonable but the world she grew up in was an extreme so while Eve herself isn't an extreme person, her actions leaned that way because that's how she was taught to handle them. And that came around to bite her in the ass hard.
I really liked how Rajas and Jacinda took Eve under their wing even before Eve got to school. They accepted her for who she was and defended her when she really started to open her mouth. The bounds of their friendships did get tested and both Jacinda and Rajas made themselves look exceptionally human. And I really liked that. They reacted to situations like I believe normal teenagers would react and while it didn't make them look all that great, it made me like the story even more for it's reality. These two characters hold their own.
What kind of tampered my like for the book a bit was the ending. I don't want to spoil but what I will say is that the ending is like something you'd see in your typical teen movie. It pretty much killed the reality of it for me because I felt it was a little too out there to be acceptable. That doesn't mean I didn't like it and I wasn't happy with the ending but in terms of realism, I wasn't buying it.
The main drawing point for me with THIS GIRL IS DIFFERENT is Eve. She's such a fantastic character. You can see how strong she is at the beginning, watch as she crumples under the pressure of school and then builds herself back up towards the end. While she second-guesses herself and why she decided to enter public school, she never wavers from her beliefs. She stands strong even though the entire grain is against her. Your really can't help but admire something like that. I wish more YA had characters like Eve, that show such impeccable strength of character. Granted I do think she's an anomaly. Many teenagers under her kind of duress would have caved, I believe. But she didn't. I didn't find it outside of the norm because of the way Johnson wrote Eve. Her breakdown as her world crumbled was believable enough, and her mother's insistence in staying strong was so vivid, that I could believe it. In this case, growing up so sheltered really helped Eve stay Eve.
If for nothing else, read THIS GIRL IS DIFFERENT for Eve, to read about a truly strong character walk from one end of the plank to another. It is a sweet story, if not a little unbelievable at the end. You'll find yourself taken aback at some points and rooting all of them on at others. It didn't blow my socks off, but it was good nonetheless.
April 3, 2016
Eversong Sparkling Morningdew je drukčija. Ne samo zbog svog osebujnog imena, nego i zbog načina na koji je odgajana. Evie je tinejdžerica, odgajana u uvjetima u kojima rijetko koji tinejdžer živi. Ona i njena majka Martha žive u Kupolastoj kući koju su same izgradile , ne posjeduju Tv ali zato Evie posjeduje hrpu citata koje skuplja čitajući različite knjige i nikada nije išla u školu. E sad, ne bacajte odmah predrasude jer Evie se školovala kod kuće i usprkos neobičnom stilu života koji vodi s majkom, ona je pametna, samostalna, samouvjerena i spremna na nove izazove. A novi izazov je nešto na što se mnogi mladi ljudi (tinejdžeri) njenih godina zgražaju i jedva čekaju da završe- školu. Da, Evie je i u tome drugačija.
Naučena živjeti pod drugačijim uvjerenjima Evie odmah primjećuje stvari koje se dešavaju u školi. Škola je novi svijet za nju, svijet u koji očigledno nije bila svjesna da ulazi. Suočena s tim otkrićem, Evie se također suočava s novim problemima a kako ne poznaje pravila škole također se suočava i sa profesorima. Njezina oštroumnost, liberalnost i iznad svega osjetljivost na nepravdu nije nešto što se dobrodošlo prihvaća. Uznemirena zbog odnosa profesor-učenik, zabrane korištenja smartphonova za vrijeme odmora za razgovore ali je isto tako srdi što se ti smartphonovi mogu koristiti za internet , zabrana korištenja dvorišta za vrijeme odmora te zbog favoriziranja određenih osoba od strane školstva Evie odlučuje podići revoluciju.Ona nije tip djevojke koja bi trebala biti samo pasivni promatrač cijele te situacije, nego uvodi promjene. Ono što Evie ne očekuje je to da će i sama munja njene revolucije pogoditi uskoro i nju samu i naći se na udaru nezadovoljnih kolega i profesora.
Svi smo mi u životu imali svoju Evie. Moja Evie je bila draga osoba i kada je digla svoju revoluciju, jednostavno se izgubila u gomili. Nije imala dovoljno snage, niti dovoljno prijatelja da stane uz njena uvjerenja. Ponekad se pitam što je sve moglo biti , samo da smo se svi mi, pasivni promatrači umiješali i donijeli promjene. Jer, svaki put počinje prvim korakom. Koliko bi sada, 20 godina kasnije mogli učiniti da je svatko digao svoju revoluciju protiv ugnjetavanja, šikaniranja i lošeg sustava.
Evie se izdvaja od svih ostalih učenika, ne samo zbog pozitivnih razloga, i iako je u opasnosti njezin ugled, njezina budućnosti ona odbija kompromis, odbija se podmiriti s trenutnom situacijom jer ona zna da stvari mogu biti puno bolje.Ona je drugačija. I ona to zna i ponosi se time. Koliko osoba to može reći za sebe?
"Što god učiniš,može se doimati beznačajno,ali iznimno je važno da to učiniš."
Sve u svemu knjiga daje nadu da postoji šansa da cijeli svijet može postati bolje mjesto, a počevši od svakog od nas ... mnogi ljudi će vam pokušati stati na putu, mnogi mogu pogrešno shvatiti naše namjere, možemo i sami biti optuženi za nešto loše, ali ako ne učinimo nešto i promijenimo sebe, ništa neće biti promijenjeno .Ako želite da stvari budu drugačije, sve treba krenuti od nas..
Koliko je nas spremno biti Evie? Koliko nas je spremno dići revoluciju?
Naučena živjeti pod drugačijim uvjerenjima Evie odmah primjećuje stvari koje se dešavaju u školi. Škola je novi svijet za nju, svijet u koji očigledno nije bila svjesna da ulazi. Suočena s tim otkrićem, Evie se također suočava s novim problemima a kako ne poznaje pravila škole također se suočava i sa profesorima. Njezina oštroumnost, liberalnost i iznad svega osjetljivost na nepravdu nije nešto što se dobrodošlo prihvaća. Uznemirena zbog odnosa profesor-učenik, zabrane korištenja smartphonova za vrijeme odmora za razgovore ali je isto tako srdi što se ti smartphonovi mogu koristiti za internet , zabrana korištenja dvorišta za vrijeme odmora te zbog favoriziranja određenih osoba od strane školstva Evie odlučuje podići revoluciju.Ona nije tip djevojke koja bi trebala biti samo pasivni promatrač cijele te situacije, nego uvodi promjene. Ono što Evie ne očekuje je to da će i sama munja njene revolucije pogoditi uskoro i nju samu i naći se na udaru nezadovoljnih kolega i profesora.
Svi smo mi u životu imali svoju Evie. Moja Evie je bila draga osoba i kada je digla svoju revoluciju, jednostavno se izgubila u gomili. Nije imala dovoljno snage, niti dovoljno prijatelja da stane uz njena uvjerenja. Ponekad se pitam što je sve moglo biti , samo da smo se svi mi, pasivni promatrači umiješali i donijeli promjene. Jer, svaki put počinje prvim korakom. Koliko bi sada, 20 godina kasnije mogli učiniti da je svatko digao svoju revoluciju protiv ugnjetavanja, šikaniranja i lošeg sustava.
Evie se izdvaja od svih ostalih učenika, ne samo zbog pozitivnih razloga, i iako je u opasnosti njezin ugled, njezina budućnosti ona odbija kompromis, odbija se podmiriti s trenutnom situacijom jer ona zna da stvari mogu biti puno bolje.Ona je drugačija. I ona to zna i ponosi se time. Koliko osoba to može reći za sebe?
"Što god učiniš,može se doimati beznačajno,ali iznimno je važno da to učiniš."
Sve u svemu knjiga daje nadu da postoji šansa da cijeli svijet može postati bolje mjesto, a počevši od svakog od nas ... mnogi ljudi će vam pokušati stati na putu, mnogi mogu pogrešno shvatiti naše namjere, možemo i sami biti optuženi za nešto loše, ali ako ne učinimo nešto i promijenimo sebe, ništa neće biti promijenjeno .Ako želite da stvari budu drugačije, sve treba krenuti od nas..
Koliko je nas spremno biti Evie? Koliko nas je spremno dići revoluciju?
July 18, 2011
3.5
I liked the book, don't get me wrong, but having a title like This Girl Is Different I was expecting something different, indeed. What I found was other high school story, a bit original in the inception, but same-same in the end... Not disappointing, but not especially surprising either.
I have no experience with homeschooling since that's not possible in Spain, so I'm not entering in details about how well-educated Evie was or her personality. For me as a layperson in these matters it was just about believable, but it could be due to my inexperience with the theme.
I did like the characters. Evie's voice is strong, self-assured, with self-esteem and certainty (even in the worst moments). She was who I would like to have been in high school speaking out her mind against unfairness and trying to make life in high school a bit better for the fellow students... although I would have expected her to be more ignorant of social interactions with people in her same age range than she was in the book.
Jacinta and Rajas were nice and introduced a new spice, a fresh breath of air in the YA high school literature: ethnicity. I loved the steamy love story and the conflicts were just logic. What I didn't like that much was the resolution, how the things settled at the end. How Evie could forgive them so easily? I can understand that she missed them, that she still loved them, but what they did was backstabbing. Any normal person would have needed more time to be able to forgive such a behavior in their best friends. But, well, let's assume that was part of Evie's social ignorance ¬¬
Anyway, besides being pretty tiresome repeating hundred times "this girl is different", it was nice, entertaining and with one of the best female main characters in YA literature I read so far. Almost a role model.
Thank you very much to netGalley and Peachtree Publishers to provide me with a galley of the book :)
I liked the book, don't get me wrong, but having a title like This Girl Is Different I was expecting something different, indeed. What I found was other high school story, a bit original in the inception, but same-same in the end... Not disappointing, but not especially surprising either.
I have no experience with homeschooling since that's not possible in Spain, so I'm not entering in details about how well-educated Evie was or her personality. For me as a layperson in these matters it was just about believable, but it could be due to my inexperience with the theme.
I did like the characters. Evie's voice is strong, self-assured, with self-esteem and certainty (even in the worst moments). She was who I would like to have been in high school speaking out her mind against unfairness and trying to make life in high school a bit better for the fellow students... although I would have expected her to be more ignorant of social interactions with people in her same age range than she was in the book.
Jacinta and Rajas were nice and introduced a new spice, a fresh breath of air in the YA high school literature: ethnicity. I loved the steamy love story and the conflicts were just logic. What I didn't like that much was the resolution, how the things settled at the end. How Evie could forgive them so easily? I can understand that she missed them, that she still loved them, but what they did was backstabbing. Any normal person would have needed more time to be able to forgive such a behavior in their best friends. But, well, let's assume that was part of Evie's social ignorance ¬¬
Anyway, besides being pretty tiresome repeating hundred times "this girl is different", it was nice, entertaining and with one of the best female main characters in YA literature I read so far. Almost a role model.
Thank you very much to netGalley and Peachtree Publishers to provide me with a galley of the book :)
August 4, 2012
A hippie Mary Sue self appoints herself as the role of Justice in a nearby high school and fucks all shit up. She is a hypocrite, a phony, and has the biggest pride you'll ever see. She also never fails to remind you that she's different and special (she says the title of the book many, many times). Since she's a Mary Sue, everything works out well in the end despite the fact that she does nothing but talk the talk and run from the walk. Because she's a Mary Sue. Did I mention she's a Mary Sue? But seriously. I hate her guts; she has not learned a single thing during the entire adventure, except that high school is scary. If I ever meet her, she will never see the light of day again. Because I'm going to murder the shit out of her.
There's also many loose ends left unfinished. Crappy as this book is, at least finish it, Johnson.
EDIT: But wait, there's more!
So I've been thinking; are you trying to make me hate Evie, Johnson? Are you purposely trying to get people to despise Evie's guts? Because you've raised a lot of valid points - through the mouths of other characters - but Evie just skips over them. Or did you just fail to make Eveningsong Sparkling Morningdew (that is Evie's full name, I shit you not) a believable character? Because where I come from, those in the denial do NOT get cheered on by their fellow peers in the gym; they usually drown.
There's also many loose ends left unfinished. Crappy as this book is, at least finish it, Johnson.
EDIT: But wait, there's more!
So I've been thinking; are you trying to make me hate Evie, Johnson? Are you purposely trying to get people to despise Evie's guts? Because you've raised a lot of valid points - through the mouths of other characters - but Evie just skips over them. Or did you just fail to make Eveningsong Sparkling Morningdew (that is Evie's full name, I shit you not) a believable character? Because where I come from, those in the denial do NOT get cheered on by their fellow peers in the gym; they usually drown.
January 7, 2011
At first I thought the story is shallow because of the cover, but I actually learned a lot from this book! This novel tackles a lot of issues that happens in reality. It reminds the readers not to abuse power, not to judge people, to stand up for what you believe in, and to always be cautious of what you say because telling the truth can sometimes hurt even if your intention is good.
May 23, 2022
This book started off strong. The author introduced the characters in an impressive fashion. In a very short in-book time, I felt as though I knew the main character well without her ever being described to me. Through her inner thoughts and the reactions that new friends had to her I felt as though I was Evensong Morningdew. Not only did I know the character— I liked who she was and I think she and I would get along very well. However, the book did feel like the author had written herself into a corner and the ending suffered as a result. She almost had to pull televisionesque twists to give all of the characters a positive story arc.
May 19, 2011
So, where to begin. When I first saw this book listed in Peachtree Publishing's spring catalog, it gave me pause. Why? Well, the cover first and foremost. You have to admit that's a pretty eye catching piece of artwork there and I just love how "different" is turned upside down....kind of like Evie's world in the coming days. Second giver of pause, the story synopsis. It sounded just "different" enough to be interesting, but what I got once I started on my reading adventure....was a whole lot more. To keep from rambling on (too much at least), I'll address a few points of interest that I felt really stood out....though trust me, the whole story is well worthy of praise. Here goes...
1. The title is a perfect fit because this girl...Evie...IS different. Her ideals, standards, and beliefs are almost foreign in some respects to those of her new classmates and not just in that "homeschooler" way. It's not merely the more structured study setting she has to adjust too, it's the whole environment from students and teachers to the hierarchy of popularity and rights both recognized and impinged upon. It's a very different mindset than the one she was raised in and one that she'll need to adjust to rather quickly if she hopes to keep her dreams of attending Cornell alive. (Or will she?)
2. The cast of characters is a unique blend stemming from a variety of backgrounds that reflect what we see in the world today. Think about your friends, acquaintances, and neighbors. It's highly doubtful they are all cookie-cutter images of you so why shouldn't the literary world reflect that diversity as well? My point exactly...and the author does a great job in creating that mix right here. From a girl that lives on a fairly self-sustaining homestead to the peppy Cheer Squad leader with more substance than it may first seem and a lot more in-between, they're an eclectic bunch but memorable all the more for it.
3. A mother daughter relationship that doesn't spout angst, extreme displays of over protective behavior, or overtly sunshine and roses declarations of love....but instead presents them more as sisters, best friends even. Shocked? I'm not, but that could have something to do with my own relationship with my Mom. Literarily speaking, it is more of a shocker but a welcome one at that. Martha is a down to earth woman who may have lived an "interesting" life once upon a time which resulted in the birth of her daughter (think hippies and free love, not call girl), but that chapter of her life is closed, leaving her free to instill the values of clean living, self and mutual respect for all living things along with a good healthy dose of rebellious nature in Evie's life. A refreshing approach to see AND read.
4. The emotions cast are felt full force...even the first blush of teenage love and potential heartbreak. While not breaking new ground with the inclusion of a love life for Evie, the way it is approached is somewhat "different" as it doesn't take center stage in the story and yet it's positive and negative reprucussions are clearly felt. It's a blur of new emotions mixed with anxiety and a little self-doubt but something that comes with life and Evie is well equipped to handle it.
5. A broad range of topics, some of which are controversial in nature, are covered within these pages...some of which you might not anticipate. Abuse of power when dealing with teachers as well as students, freedom of speech, inappropriate relationships, environmental causes, friendship, making hard decisions for better or worse, and staying true to your beliefs....all this and more in this ONE novel. Quite the feat but well presented.
In short, this BOOK is different...not in the fantastical elements used sort of way, but in the reality of the events and situations presented, the strength of the beliefs put forth, and the possibilities left open like a warm sunny day. It's a fiction book, yes...but one that will have you thinking of all the real life applications long after you finish the final page. A great read indeed and one I'd certainly recommend though in regards to the age level, I'd say the "12 - 16 years old" audience they were aiming for is just about as young as I would go. There are a few sensually tinged scenes and the concepts explored may be a little over the heads of readers younger than the intended group, but that doesn't mean it can't wait on their wish lists in the mean time. As for adult readers, come one...come all. In fact, a read of this book may open up a few doors of conversations to be had with those younger folks around you. From the "hard talks" to their social awareness, there are many jumping points to take note of.
1. The title is a perfect fit because this girl...Evie...IS different. Her ideals, standards, and beliefs are almost foreign in some respects to those of her new classmates and not just in that "homeschooler" way. It's not merely the more structured study setting she has to adjust too, it's the whole environment from students and teachers to the hierarchy of popularity and rights both recognized and impinged upon. It's a very different mindset than the one she was raised in and one that she'll need to adjust to rather quickly if she hopes to keep her dreams of attending Cornell alive. (Or will she?)
2. The cast of characters is a unique blend stemming from a variety of backgrounds that reflect what we see in the world today. Think about your friends, acquaintances, and neighbors. It's highly doubtful they are all cookie-cutter images of you so why shouldn't the literary world reflect that diversity as well? My point exactly...and the author does a great job in creating that mix right here. From a girl that lives on a fairly self-sustaining homestead to the peppy Cheer Squad leader with more substance than it may first seem and a lot more in-between, they're an eclectic bunch but memorable all the more for it.
3. A mother daughter relationship that doesn't spout angst, extreme displays of over protective behavior, or overtly sunshine and roses declarations of love....but instead presents them more as sisters, best friends even. Shocked? I'm not, but that could have something to do with my own relationship with my Mom. Literarily speaking, it is more of a shocker but a welcome one at that. Martha is a down to earth woman who may have lived an "interesting" life once upon a time which resulted in the birth of her daughter (think hippies and free love, not call girl), but that chapter of her life is closed, leaving her free to instill the values of clean living, self and mutual respect for all living things along with a good healthy dose of rebellious nature in Evie's life. A refreshing approach to see AND read.
4. The emotions cast are felt full force...even the first blush of teenage love and potential heartbreak. While not breaking new ground with the inclusion of a love life for Evie, the way it is approached is somewhat "different" as it doesn't take center stage in the story and yet it's positive and negative reprucussions are clearly felt. It's a blur of new emotions mixed with anxiety and a little self-doubt but something that comes with life and Evie is well equipped to handle it.
5. A broad range of topics, some of which are controversial in nature, are covered within these pages...some of which you might not anticipate. Abuse of power when dealing with teachers as well as students, freedom of speech, inappropriate relationships, environmental causes, friendship, making hard decisions for better or worse, and staying true to your beliefs....all this and more in this ONE novel. Quite the feat but well presented.
In short, this BOOK is different...not in the fantastical elements used sort of way, but in the reality of the events and situations presented, the strength of the beliefs put forth, and the possibilities left open like a warm sunny day. It's a fiction book, yes...but one that will have you thinking of all the real life applications long after you finish the final page. A great read indeed and one I'd certainly recommend though in regards to the age level, I'd say the "12 - 16 years old" audience they were aiming for is just about as young as I would go. There are a few sensually tinged scenes and the concepts explored may be a little over the heads of readers younger than the intended group, but that doesn't mean it can't wait on their wish lists in the mean time. As for adult readers, come one...come all. In fact, a read of this book may open up a few doors of conversations to be had with those younger folks around you. From the "hard talks" to their social awareness, there are many jumping points to take note of.
January 4, 2013
This is a light, refreshing story, one I enjoyed reading, though parts did get a bit too melodramatic towards the end.
Evie was a protagonist I ultimately liked, though my positive feelings towards her did lessen as the story progressed. She is confident, cheerful, stands up for herself and has a strong moral compass, but there were times when she came across as judgmental and condescending (in regards to her, and her mother’s, way of life, how she views the rest of the student population etc) and often she was very naive and foolish (her actions concerning PLUTO come to mind).
I also really liked her mum and their close relationship (something of a rarity in YA fiction), though sometimes she was a bit too ditzy. I wanted her to set some boundaries with Evie, as it was clear she could have used some guidance, not to mention exposure to some other points of view. What struck me was that Evie believes herself to be well-educated and a liberal but she still has a very closeted view of the world. In that way she was a very realistic teenager. Evie, once in school, immediately starts fighting the system, jeopardising her dreams and academic future and there were many times while reading that I didn’t necessarily feel she was actually in the right. At other times I felt she was just arguing for the sake of it. Everything was an injustice (for example her obsession over the use of mobile phones in school). There is such a thing as choosing your battles, and while I can applaud Evie for standing up against the more serious, important issues that crop up in this book, I can’t help but think that, in reality, she would be a very tiring person to be around! My favourite character was actually the headmaster, Dr. Folger, who shows Evie there are other sides to consider and better ways to bring about change (and I amused myself imagining a relationship between him and Evie’s mother).
This Girl is Different focuses a lot on environmental issues, healthy free-range living and so on, which ordinarily would put me off but I found it was integrated into the story well and didn’t feel overly preachy. Instead it provided a new (for me) backdrop and gave the whole story a pretty unique, refreshing tone. This Girl is Different also brings up some important points on sexism and equality which was great to see and can sometimes be lacking in YA.
There was however, an inappropriate teacher/student relationship story line that I don’t feel was handled very well. This story has a very light, easy feel to it, so sadly, it is never seriously explored. The danger, the emotional manipulation and the repercussions of this type of relationship, is only hinted at and briefly brushed upon before being resolved or forgotten, which was a great shame and had the author chosen to look into this plot line properly it would have given the story some weight and made a far more compelling, grown up and touching read.
In the fight for what she feels is right, Evie ultimately takes things a step too far and learns that perhaps she doesn’t yet know everything and that life is not as black and white as she sees it. This is a refreshing coming-of-age story, and I felt Johnson handled Evie’s transition into confident home-schooler to bewildered high-schooler, out of her depth, well. I did feel that everything was a bit too perfectly (not to mention too easily) wrapped up in the end. This Girl is Different is a fun read, not to be taken too seriously. There were a few too many clichés and an overly cheesy romance but it was nice to see a pretty healthy, normal teenage relationship for once with no life or death situations attached. I really enjoyed This Girl Is Different until about 2/3rd of the way through, then some major drama started and everyone went a little too insane for me.
Not a favourite, but definitely, as the time title suggests, something a bit different.
*Many thanks to Peachtree Publishers and NetGalley for making this ebook available*
Evie was a protagonist I ultimately liked, though my positive feelings towards her did lessen as the story progressed. She is confident, cheerful, stands up for herself and has a strong moral compass, but there were times when she came across as judgmental and condescending (in regards to her, and her mother’s, way of life, how she views the rest of the student population etc) and often she was very naive and foolish (her actions concerning PLUTO come to mind).
I also really liked her mum and their close relationship (something of a rarity in YA fiction), though sometimes she was a bit too ditzy. I wanted her to set some boundaries with Evie, as it was clear she could have used some guidance, not to mention exposure to some other points of view. What struck me was that Evie believes herself to be well-educated and a liberal but she still has a very closeted view of the world. In that way she was a very realistic teenager. Evie, once in school, immediately starts fighting the system, jeopardising her dreams and academic future and there were many times while reading that I didn’t necessarily feel she was actually in the right. At other times I felt she was just arguing for the sake of it. Everything was an injustice (for example her obsession over the use of mobile phones in school). There is such a thing as choosing your battles, and while I can applaud Evie for standing up against the more serious, important issues that crop up in this book, I can’t help but think that, in reality, she would be a very tiring person to be around! My favourite character was actually the headmaster, Dr. Folger, who shows Evie there are other sides to consider and better ways to bring about change (and I amused myself imagining a relationship between him and Evie’s mother).
This Girl is Different focuses a lot on environmental issues, healthy free-range living and so on, which ordinarily would put me off but I found it was integrated into the story well and didn’t feel overly preachy. Instead it provided a new (for me) backdrop and gave the whole story a pretty unique, refreshing tone. This Girl is Different also brings up some important points on sexism and equality which was great to see and can sometimes be lacking in YA.
There was however, an inappropriate teacher/student relationship story line that I don’t feel was handled very well. This story has a very light, easy feel to it, so sadly, it is never seriously explored. The danger, the emotional manipulation and the repercussions of this type of relationship, is only hinted at and briefly brushed upon before being resolved or forgotten, which was a great shame and had the author chosen to look into this plot line properly it would have given the story some weight and made a far more compelling, grown up and touching read.
In the fight for what she feels is right, Evie ultimately takes things a step too far and learns that perhaps she doesn’t yet know everything and that life is not as black and white as she sees it. This is a refreshing coming-of-age story, and I felt Johnson handled Evie’s transition into confident home-schooler to bewildered high-schooler, out of her depth, well. I did feel that everything was a bit too perfectly (not to mention too easily) wrapped up in the end. This Girl is Different is a fun read, not to be taken too seriously. There were a few too many clichés and an overly cheesy romance but it was nice to see a pretty healthy, normal teenage relationship for once with no life or death situations attached. I really enjoyed This Girl Is Different until about 2/3rd of the way through, then some major drama started and everyone went a little too insane for me.
Not a favourite, but definitely, as the time title suggests, something a bit different.
*Many thanks to Peachtree Publishers and NetGalley for making this ebook available*
February 23, 2011
Summary from GoodReads
This girl is different… That’s what Evie has always told herself—and it’s true. Home-schooled by her counter culture mom, she’s decided to see what high school is like for the first time—for her senior year. And what a year it is.
As it turns out, it’s not just Evie who’s Different. Lots of people are. Many of her assumptions about others are turned on their heads as she makes friends with kids her own age for the first time, discovers what’s good and what’s bad about high school, and learns lessons about power and its abuse—both by the administration and by Evie herself.
A Bit of a Ramble
The main plot line of the book revolves around Evie's - sort of self-indulgent - protestation against the authority imposed in public school systems. Evie organizes an anonymous protest of the abuse inflicted by one teacher upon a student - specifically, the teacher commented on a student's weight. To call attention to the inequality in the school, Evie (or another student) place a lightning bolt on the recipient's locker/door, and then write up a blog post about the person/incident.
This protestation snowballs with some "deserving" recipients of the lightning strike and subsequently less "deserving" recipients. While I applaud Evie's dedication to equality and fairness, I found myself sympathizing more with the principal than with Evie. Evie's reminders that she is different - This Girl is Different - combined with her anonymous activism seemed rather self-aggrandizing and immature. The principal, on the other hand, seemed a voice of reason, supporting the sentiment but not the means. I. Am. Such. An. Adult.
That is what I was reminded of throughout the book. I am an adult. I can no longer sympathize with the emotion-based sort of activism portrayed in the book. While some romanticize themselves, believing they would be the drug-imbibing, flowery-skirt-wearing, peace out hippies in the 60s, I just know I would be an ACLU lawyer. I think logic changes the world more substantively than emotion. And so, I find Evie's hippie mother frustrating, Evie herself self-important, and the school a bit over-the-top in its collection of totalitarian and unsympathetic teachers.
While reading the above paragraphs may suggest I did not like the book, that is not the case. I read the entirety in one plane ride and the story kept my attention all the way through. I may have felt removed from the story, but I still appreciated what it was trying to do, the message it was trying to communicate.
This girl is different… That’s what Evie has always told herself—and it’s true. Home-schooled by her counter culture mom, she’s decided to see what high school is like for the first time—for her senior year. And what a year it is.
As it turns out, it’s not just Evie who’s Different. Lots of people are. Many of her assumptions about others are turned on their heads as she makes friends with kids her own age for the first time, discovers what’s good and what’s bad about high school, and learns lessons about power and its abuse—both by the administration and by Evie herself.
A Bit of a Ramble
The main plot line of the book revolves around Evie's - sort of self-indulgent - protestation against the authority imposed in public school systems. Evie organizes an anonymous protest of the abuse inflicted by one teacher upon a student - specifically, the teacher commented on a student's weight. To call attention to the inequality in the school, Evie (or another student) place a lightning bolt on the recipient's locker/door, and then write up a blog post about the person/incident.
This protestation snowballs with some "deserving" recipients of the lightning strike and subsequently less "deserving" recipients. While I applaud Evie's dedication to equality and fairness, I found myself sympathizing more with the principal than with Evie. Evie's reminders that she is different - This Girl is Different - combined with her anonymous activism seemed rather self-aggrandizing and immature. The principal, on the other hand, seemed a voice of reason, supporting the sentiment but not the means. I. Am. Such. An. Adult.
That is what I was reminded of throughout the book. I am an adult. I can no longer sympathize with the emotion-based sort of activism portrayed in the book. While some romanticize themselves, believing they would be the drug-imbibing, flowery-skirt-wearing, peace out hippies in the 60s, I just know I would be an ACLU lawyer. I think logic changes the world more substantively than emotion. And so, I find Evie's hippie mother frustrating, Evie herself self-important, and the school a bit over-the-top in its collection of totalitarian and unsympathetic teachers.
While reading the above paragraphs may suggest I did not like the book, that is not the case. I read the entirety in one plane ride and the story kept my attention all the way through. I may have felt removed from the story, but I still appreciated what it was trying to do, the message it was trying to communicate.
July 14, 2011
THIS GIRL IS DIFFERENT!!!
Evie spends most of her education life being a homeschooled student. Now on her senior year, she decides to enter the public school to experience how it is being in a school. There she finds some facts about the injustice that happens in the school. She tries to stand on her own idealism, to fight for the justice and help others. But things don’t just go as what she has planned, she has to face some difficulty and accept that everything can be different in real life.
Evie grows up raised by a unique mother that teaches her a lot of things. She is described as a smart, brave, independent and an assertive girl. Those qualities that she has make her different from other people. She fights for the things that she thinks are right. She can’t stand when someone maltreats other because of power and authority. She always wants to defend other people and as well, to speak out against the odds to make a change.
From her experience in the new school, Evie learns about knowledge, friendship, love, heartbreak, betrayal and struggle. Others also learn many things from Evie. Evie’s actions have surely given a big influence to many people.
The story itself indeed is different. It points out the phenomena that often happen in real life but not many people really have the guts to vocalize those issues. Here in the story, it is shown that even a young girl can make a difference, that everyone can do a little something to make a change no matter how hard the situation is. It teaches us not to give up upon something but to fight for it.
The plot is told through Evie’s perspective that is really interesting. I liked how the story flows and how Johnson gives meaning to everything she has written in the book. I also liked the quotes given in every beginning of the chapter. They are inspiring and awakening. I found myself smiling to some parts of the story that are sweet and funny. I was somehow melted into the emotions that the characters feel in the story. The conversations are light but clever.
The ending is perfect for me, I liked it so much. Changes are finally made and done, a wonderful outcome of a wonderful effort. A great and professional debut from JJ Johnson!!
Evie spends most of her education life being a homeschooled student. Now on her senior year, she decides to enter the public school to experience how it is being in a school. There she finds some facts about the injustice that happens in the school. She tries to stand on her own idealism, to fight for the justice and help others. But things don’t just go as what she has planned, she has to face some difficulty and accept that everything can be different in real life.
Evie grows up raised by a unique mother that teaches her a lot of things. She is described as a smart, brave, independent and an assertive girl. Those qualities that she has make her different from other people. She fights for the things that she thinks are right. She can’t stand when someone maltreats other because of power and authority. She always wants to defend other people and as well, to speak out against the odds to make a change.
From her experience in the new school, Evie learns about knowledge, friendship, love, heartbreak, betrayal and struggle. Others also learn many things from Evie. Evie’s actions have surely given a big influence to many people.
The story itself indeed is different. It points out the phenomena that often happen in real life but not many people really have the guts to vocalize those issues. Here in the story, it is shown that even a young girl can make a difference, that everyone can do a little something to make a change no matter how hard the situation is. It teaches us not to give up upon something but to fight for it.
The plot is told through Evie’s perspective that is really interesting. I liked how the story flows and how Johnson gives meaning to everything she has written in the book. I also liked the quotes given in every beginning of the chapter. They are inspiring and awakening. I found myself smiling to some parts of the story that are sweet and funny. I was somehow melted into the emotions that the characters feel in the story. The conversations are light but clever.
The ending is perfect for me, I liked it so much. Changes are finally made and done, a wonderful outcome of a wonderful effort. A great and professional debut from JJ Johnson!!
March 5, 2016
REVIEW FOR THIS GIRL IS DIFFERENT BY JJ JOHNSON
Evensong Sparkling Morningdew (she prefers to be called Evie, if you know what I mean,) has been homeschooled her whole life, and with senior year coming around the corner, she decides to spend her last year at high school, where she'll do a little bit of pop culture research (and maybe experience some "normal girl" tendencies, like attendance and mean girls and falling in love.) The thing is, when Evie gets there, things aren't as great as they're cracked up to be, but who,if not an eccentric homeschooler, can turn its system around and bring justice if not Evie? All goes well until the revolution starts to kick back, and Evie has to confront her worst fear-is this girl really different?
I LOVED this book! Evie is the most sassy and loveable character I have ever seen come to life in a book's pages, and her spunk and butt-kicking abilities, as well as her love for literature and philosophical quotes, makes you want to cheer for her through the good and the bad. She may make mistakes, but boy, does she figure out good ways to battle them! The romance was subtle, but very cute and very funny-who knew that Evie had a match out there? It all came down to the page-turning plot; it was hours before I realized I had been sitting in the same place as when I had started, but Johnson's action driven plot wanted me to read more! I can't wait to see other work by the author of This Girl is Different, and let me say this: everyone will delight in J.J. Johnson's debut novel, and I guarrentee that Evie's journey is a fun, but different one.
Evensong Sparkling Morningdew (she prefers to be called Evie, if you know what I mean,) has been homeschooled her whole life, and with senior year coming around the corner, she decides to spend her last year at high school, where she'll do a little bit of pop culture research (and maybe experience some "normal girl" tendencies, like attendance and mean girls and falling in love.) The thing is, when Evie gets there, things aren't as great as they're cracked up to be, but who,if not an eccentric homeschooler, can turn its system around and bring justice if not Evie? All goes well until the revolution starts to kick back, and Evie has to confront her worst fear-is this girl really different?
I LOVED this book! Evie is the most sassy and loveable character I have ever seen come to life in a book's pages, and her spunk and butt-kicking abilities, as well as her love for literature and philosophical quotes, makes you want to cheer for her through the good and the bad. She may make mistakes, but boy, does she figure out good ways to battle them! The romance was subtle, but very cute and very funny-who knew that Evie had a match out there? It all came down to the page-turning plot; it was hours before I realized I had been sitting in the same place as when I had started, but Johnson's action driven plot wanted me to read more! I can't wait to see other work by the author of This Girl is Different, and let me say this: everyone will delight in J.J. Johnson's debut novel, and I guarrentee that Evie's journey is a fun, but different one.
July 22, 2011
Reading this book is like watching a feel good movie. It starts good, the drama builds, you question 'how is she going to fix this' then it all comes together nicely in the end.
It was refreshing to have such a thoughtful, intelligent girl as the man character. Evie is awesome! Her vocabulary, her ideas, her naïveté. It's all perfect and very believable. Martha, her mom is the coolest. Although, I would have liked to have her explain why she called her Martha instead of mom. I love the way she meets Rajas and Jacinda in the beginning, the "non" rescue scene. I spent the first half of the book loving them both, then mad at them, then back to loving them. Rajas especially.
Martha's hippie philosophy as well as strong ideas about freedom of speech, oppression and the Man are throughout this book. However, it is a book that all young people could learn from especially on the topic of bullying and self-expression. I'm a sucker for quote and each chapter begins with great quotes from great minds in history, including my favorite quote from Albert Einstein. Only problem I found myself liking Brookner, despite what he was doing. I couldn't hate him for some reason. It was weird. He should have been a little more slimy, I guess. And Ms. Gliss was totally Sue Sylvester, all the way, track suit and all.
Overall, the book was very enjoyable. I would recommended it for any and everyone, especially teenagers. There is social activism, a little romance, parent/child relationships, environmental consciousnes and even a cool cow. What's not to love? Go read it. FIGHT THE POWER!
It was refreshing to have such a thoughtful, intelligent girl as the man character. Evie is awesome! Her vocabulary, her ideas, her naïveté. It's all perfect and very believable. Martha, her mom is the coolest. Although, I would have liked to have her explain why she called her Martha instead of mom. I love the way she meets Rajas and Jacinda in the beginning, the "non" rescue scene. I spent the first half of the book loving them both, then mad at them, then back to loving them. Rajas especially.
Martha's hippie philosophy as well as strong ideas about freedom of speech, oppression and the Man are throughout this book. However, it is a book that all young people could learn from especially on the topic of bullying and self-expression. I'm a sucker for quote and each chapter begins with great quotes from great minds in history, including my favorite quote from Albert Einstein. Only problem I found myself liking Brookner, despite what he was doing. I couldn't hate him for some reason. It was weird. He should have been a little more slimy, I guess. And Ms. Gliss was totally Sue Sylvester, all the way, track suit and all.
Overall, the book was very enjoyable. I would recommended it for any and everyone, especially teenagers. There is social activism, a little romance, parent/child relationships, environmental consciousnes and even a cool cow. What's not to love? Go read it. FIGHT THE POWER!
April 3, 2011
*3.5: Recommended*
This Girl is Different is, hence the title, so different than most YA books published today. I can't just point a finger at a certain part and say, "This is what made it so unique," because there were a lot of aspects and events and types of people that made it that way. There was Evie: who spoke her mind, her mother Martha: a new age Hippie, the... well, I don't want to give anything away. So, as to not ruin your reading experience, I'll just tell you that the whole environment made This Girl is Different a nice breath of fresh air.
JJ Johnson has created some real lovely characters. I love how unique Evie was. She wasn't a damsel in distress or a mean girl, like most main characters in YA today. Instead, she dominates the story by being capable of doing things herself, speaking her mind, and having a high self-esteem (I had to say it. There are a lot of MCs out there that think so poorly of themselves and Evie was a nice change). My favorite character, however, was not Evie. It was her mother Martha. She was more of a laid back kind of mom, who knew what most boyfriend/girlfriends do and was okay with it; She was smart, strongly supported Evie, and loved to travel. I'm also in love with the way she talked. She was so kind, funny and used phrases/words such as, "darling, my love, etc." And I love anyone who talks like that. ♥
This Girl is Different was a nice read, with a good cover and strong characters. It isn't anything to rush and put at the top of your TBR list, but if you're looking for something unique, pick it up soon.
This Girl is Different is, hence the title, so different than most YA books published today. I can't just point a finger at a certain part and say, "This is what made it so unique," because there were a lot of aspects and events and types of people that made it that way. There was Evie: who spoke her mind, her mother Martha: a new age Hippie, the... well, I don't want to give anything away. So, as to not ruin your reading experience, I'll just tell you that the whole environment made This Girl is Different a nice breath of fresh air.
JJ Johnson has created some real lovely characters. I love how unique Evie was. She wasn't a damsel in distress or a mean girl, like most main characters in YA today. Instead, she dominates the story by being capable of doing things herself, speaking her mind, and having a high self-esteem (I had to say it. There are a lot of MCs out there that think so poorly of themselves and Evie was a nice change). My favorite character, however, was not Evie. It was her mother Martha. She was more of a laid back kind of mom, who knew what most boyfriend/girlfriends do and was okay with it; She was smart, strongly supported Evie, and loved to travel. I'm also in love with the way she talked. She was so kind, funny and used phrases/words such as, "darling, my love, etc." And I love anyone who talks like that. ♥
This Girl is Different was a nice read, with a good cover and strong characters. It isn't anything to rush and put at the top of your TBR list, but if you're looking for something unique, pick it up soon.
February 14, 2011
Eccentric, natural, different. The reader follows the journey of one homeschooler's chance to live out the complexities of public high school. From the excitement on the first day to the horrors that follow, the author gives you more than a taste of what could happen when a student shows her colors.
All Evie wants is the experience. Her mother wishes for a spy. Evie becomes an advocate of student rights, but falters when her plan backfires. There are two themes that contrast each other in this novel. The first is not being afraid to show your true self. Evie does not swim with the current of fish. Though she does not want to risk her chance of attending Cornell the following year, this girl takes the chance to prove her belief in unconformity.
The other theme is age-old. Bullying. Most young readers take this theme and put it in their back pocket, never to be looked upon again. Johnson makes this very hard to accomplish. This theme is beautifully laced and hard to ignore. You see the true affects from not only the main character, but throughout the student body and staff.
I absolutely love Evie and her mother! Made from the organic dirt they plant their garden in, they yield a beautiful display of how to work with the earth and not use it up! From the Dome Home they live in to their beloved cow, I loved every detail of their home.
Hands down, JJ Johnson is one of my new favorite authors.
All Evie wants is the experience. Her mother wishes for a spy. Evie becomes an advocate of student rights, but falters when her plan backfires. There are two themes that contrast each other in this novel. The first is not being afraid to show your true self. Evie does not swim with the current of fish. Though she does not want to risk her chance of attending Cornell the following year, this girl takes the chance to prove her belief in unconformity.
The other theme is age-old. Bullying. Most young readers take this theme and put it in their back pocket, never to be looked upon again. Johnson makes this very hard to accomplish. This theme is beautifully laced and hard to ignore. You see the true affects from not only the main character, but throughout the student body and staff.
I absolutely love Evie and her mother! Made from the organic dirt they plant their garden in, they yield a beautiful display of how to work with the earth and not use it up! From the Dome Home they live in to their beloved cow, I loved every detail of their home.
Hands down, JJ Johnson is one of my new favorite authors.
September 10, 2011
Sooooo.... This book was highly entertaining for a couple of reasons.
First, Rajas. He is hot(well seems hot anyway). He has an Wesome personality and a great sense of humour. Though the labels thing is kind of a downside, he gets over it(or does he lol).
Second of all, I love all the quotes in the book along with the quote arguments from Evie(love her name!). Brookner was always a creep for me and I was surprised that he liked her and not her cause here were all these signs that led me to believe it...
Another reason was Ms. Gliss. She deserved every shitty thing that came to her. :)
Lastly, all these hotnand heavy scenes with Evie and Rajas making out! I was actually glad that it didn't happen cause books these days are filled with ....awkward. Anyway, Evensong has it damn good that she gets to make out with Rajas.
Anyway, the writing itself in the books was wonderful and I love all the deductions that the author makes Evie make in the book. The book was very amusing and I would recommend it to lots and lots of readers out there. Mostly Jackie though since I think it's her kind of book that meets all of qualifications... :D
First, Rajas. He is hot(well seems hot anyway). He has an Wesome personality and a great sense of humour. Though the labels thing is kind of a downside, he gets over it(or does he lol).
Second of all, I love all the quotes in the book along with the quote arguments from Evie(love her name!). Brookner was always a creep for me and I was surprised that he liked her and not her cause here were all these signs that led me to believe it...
Another reason was Ms. Gliss. She deserved every shitty thing that came to her. :)
Lastly, all these hotnand heavy scenes with Evie and Rajas making out! I was actually glad that it didn't happen cause books these days are filled with ....awkward. Anyway, Evensong has it damn good that she gets to make out with Rajas.
Anyway, the writing itself in the books was wonderful and I love all the deductions that the author makes Evie make in the book. The book was very amusing and I would recommend it to lots and lots of readers out there. Mostly Jackie though since I think it's her kind of book that meets all of qualifications... :D
July 14, 2014
Evie has been homeschooled her entire life, but just once she wants to try out public school, before going off to college. A big fan of John Hughs' work, she has ideas about school that are all about to change.
I don't know why I didn't get to this sooner. I enjoyed the mix of idealist and realist that is Evie, I loved that she was capable of liking different types of girls, her feminism, and how her ideals are brought up against reality. The romance plot never relies on stupid contrivances to keep the two apart, and Evie learns that there are consequences to her actions that don't care about her good intentions. Mostly I loved this book because of how different it seems to be from other YA reads lately. Even though Evie falls into insta-attraction, she's sufficiently aware to recognize it for what it is.
It's a book about a high school senior learning to see the shades of gray that are everywhere, and adjusting her ideals accordingly (and no, that doesn't mean dropping them). charming, but never twee.
Electronic file for review from publisher.
I don't know why I didn't get to this sooner. I enjoyed the mix of idealist and realist that is Evie, I loved that she was capable of liking different types of girls, her feminism, and how her ideals are brought up against reality. The romance plot never relies on stupid contrivances to keep the two apart, and Evie learns that there are consequences to her actions that don't care about her good intentions. Mostly I loved this book because of how different it seems to be from other YA reads lately. Even though Evie falls into insta-attraction, she's sufficiently aware to recognize it for what it is.
It's a book about a high school senior learning to see the shades of gray that are everywhere, and adjusting her ideals accordingly (and no, that doesn't mean dropping them). charming, but never twee.
Electronic file for review from publisher.
April 20, 2017
I read this book as part of the United Methodist Women's selected books in their reading challenge program, and that is not to imply that there is anything "religious" in this novel, because there isn't. It was listed under the "Youth/Young adult" category. Now, with all that said, I found the book interesting with a good message (which is why I believe it was included in the UMW reading challenge).
The story takes place in a high school during the senior year of the three main characters. It kept my interest and left me with the feeling that if a person can have the courage to stand strong for what he believes in, that one person can truly make a difference in the world.
The story takes place in a high school during the senior year of the three main characters. It kept my interest and left me with the feeling that if a person can have the courage to stand strong for what he believes in, that one person can truly make a difference in the world.
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May 4, 2011This good, first, solidly teen novel lost me a bit in the last 20 pages (I didn't find the rally finale believable), but there's A LOT to recommend it. Smart, feisty, feminist, political, home-schooled heroine (Evie) going to public high school for her senior year, her savvy counter-culture mom, Martha; a very hot boy, plus everything you've always loved to hate about high school, which activist Evie tilts against to good, hilarious, and near disastrous effect. Will look for what's next from this author. Love the cover.
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