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Party Girl
The room smells of sweat, smoke, beer, and longing.
The music pulses, the lights flash, and Kata and Ana dance. For a moment the raucous crowd is tamed, and together the two girls soar above their lives. but then the deafening applause sends the dancers crashing down to earth, back to the gang wars, the gunfire, and the only way of life they know.
In a neighborhood consumed by violence, every day may be a gang member's last. And sometimes the only life you can hope to save is your own.
The music pulses, the lights flash, and Kata and Ana dance. For a moment the raucous crowd is tamed, and together the two girls soar above their lives. but then the deafening applause sends the dancers crashing down to earth, back to the gang wars, the gunfire, and the only way of life they know.
In a neighborhood consumed by violence, every day may be a gang member's last. And sometimes the only life you can hope to save is your own.
128 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
18 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Ewing
48 books862 followersLynne Ewing is an American author and a screen writer.
She always had to move around a lot when she was growing up because her father was in the Marine Corps. She has two sisters. Lynne graduated from high school in Lima, Peru after attending seven other schools. While she was in Peru, she learned to speak Spanish. She attended the University of California at Santa Barbara. When she was 30 years old, she began writing for newspapers, documentaries, magazines, and did screen writing. She also counsels troubled teens. Her first books were Drive-By and Party Girl. Drive-By took six years to write, and Party Girl has been made into a movie called Living the Life. She has written the completed Daughters of the Moon and Sons of the Dark series. She lives in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.. Ms. Ewing has two children, Jonathan, a molecular biologist, and Amber, an international lawyer. She has also traveled to Japan, China, Russia, Europe, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. She has begun a new series called Sisters of Isis.
She always had to move around a lot when she was growing up because her father was in the Marine Corps. She has two sisters. Lynne graduated from high school in Lima, Peru after attending seven other schools. While she was in Peru, she learned to speak Spanish. She attended the University of California at Santa Barbara. When she was 30 years old, she began writing for newspapers, documentaries, magazines, and did screen writing. She also counsels troubled teens. Her first books were Drive-By and Party Girl. Drive-By took six years to write, and Party Girl has been made into a movie called Living the Life. She has written the completed Daughters of the Moon and Sons of the Dark series. She lives in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.. Ms. Ewing has two children, Jonathan, a molecular biologist, and Amber, an international lawyer. She has also traveled to Japan, China, Russia, Europe, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. She has begun a new series called Sisters of Isis.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
September 28, 2008
ilove this book! and i recommend this book to every-1!!!!
June 2, 2008
Party girl was a really good short read. Party girl introduced me to a world i would never know anything about. Kata let us into her world or drugs,drinking, gang life, and sex. Kata was living a life that no teenager should ever live. I could relate to Kata and her friend Anna in a way because my bestfriend and I where into the same things. Now i was never in a gang and my partens where very good to me and caring but they did a lot of things we liked to do. Kata and Anna loved to dance, they could just feel like music inside them and let it take them away with no worries about the outside world. Dancing is what i do no matter what im feeling. I dance when im happy, sad, goofy, anything same whit Anna and Kata. These where some strong grils, they didnt care what people had to say or did they had there gang memebers and thats all they needed. Until one day Anna was shot on her block in a drive by shooting. Just a few nights before she had told Kata she was going to have a baby. When i read that she was shot i just felt my heart drop to the floor because i was shocked and so sad that they took her and her unborn childs life. Kata was so alone feeling after that i just really felt bad for her. I think alot of people who want to be part of the gang life should read this book so it will open there eyes and see that it is not as cool as they think.
January 25, 2019
Party Girl by Lynne Ewing is about a girl named Kata she had lost her bestfriend Anna. Anna was killed in a drive by shooting. Her and Kata used to compete in dance competitions, they were considered the best. Once Anna died Kata gave up dancing, she felt like she couldn't do it without Anna. Adventually Kata let us into her world of drugs,drinking, gang life, and sex. Once she did everything changed, she spoke of herself a little different and treated people slightly different. This book was a short read and I have plenty more to say about it, but that would spoil some things. So I would recommend this book to anyone who likes an author who shows what really happens in the world with gangs and violence or if you would just want to learn more about Kata and the secrets she finds out about Anna.
November 17, 2009
The genre of Party Girl by Lynne Ewing is fiction. The reason I chose this book was because I saw the cover and it seemed ironic to me because the girl in the photo has a cross on her neck ant the title of the book is party girl. I thought this was interesting so I decided to read this book. This story takes place in L.A., where the neighborhoods are war zones that are divided by hatred. A young girl named Kata has to deal with the gang violence, drugs, and her own dreams of living a better life. Then one day a terrible incident happens and the life of Kata is changed dramatically. The protagonist in the book is Kata.She is a 14 year old girl, whose entire life has been exposed to gangs, drugs, and violence.” I don't got choices in this neighborhood,” I said. “If I had choices, you think I’d stay here?”(Ewing,22). This is an example of how hard it was for the character to escape her situation.Her alcoholic mother helps contribute to the reason why Kata becomes involved with gangs. Kata loves to dance and her and her best friend Ana leave all the gang violence aside and go compete in underground dance competitions. Dancing is something Kata loves doing because it gives her hopes that one day her life will be better and away from all the violence. At the beginning of the story Kata is a crazy, outgoing, party girl who shows to have no fear and who does life risking things. But when the terrible incident that happens to her best friend occurs, Kata's life is impacted greatly and things begin to change.
The central conflict in the book is man vs. society. Kata has to fight the violence of her neighborhood and her own feelings of revenge for what happened to her best friend and her longings of a different life style. The theme in this book is that everyday can be your last and therefore you should always try to be the best you can. The author’s writing is very urban and it helps us depict the struggles and difficulties a person that was involved with gangs faced. I would recommend this book because it helps you understand the hardships people involved with gangs have to suffer and go through and it opens your eyes to see the real aspects of life
The central conflict in the book is man vs. society. Kata has to fight the violence of her neighborhood and her own feelings of revenge for what happened to her best friend and her longings of a different life style. The theme in this book is that everyday can be your last and therefore you should always try to be the best you can. The author’s writing is very urban and it helps us depict the struggles and difficulties a person that was involved with gangs faced. I would recommend this book because it helps you understand the hardships people involved with gangs have to suffer and go through and it opens your eyes to see the real aspects of life
March 8, 2015
I read this book 15 years ago, right after it came out. I had forgotten the title of it but it has stuck with me to this day. Finally found it again! There is a funeral scene that is haunting and raw and has been locked in my brain since I first read it. Excellent book. Lots of violence. Quick read.
May 16, 2007
Fast-paced, high-interest L.A. kind of story that my female students borrow and finish almost without putting it down. I love it for that reason.
March 22, 2009
A very strange book, some people do have difficult lives, and people who don't, tkae thiers for granted. Lots of blood, and violence, just so you know.
August 3, 2025
I remember reading this in the 7th grade and it stuck with me. I was compelled to read this book again. This is a story for young adults, but even though it’s short I felt the imagery was beautiful and at times very haunting. The book is about a teenage girl named Kata who is in a gang and loses her best friend Ana to a drive-by shooting. Eventually she grieves and realizes to put that part of her life behind her, however I felt this story from the beginning had no happy ending. Kata’s mother set her up for failure and is nearly thirty, doesn’t work, dying of alcoholism and was an absent mother growing up. The girl runs from herself, but she really only seems to know that as a coping skill. I really did like the book and there also was a movie made based on this book in 2000.
3.5/5
3.5/5
June 29, 2021
I read this in a day while I was in between books, safe to say it was awful.
February 26, 2025
Eye opening
December 9, 2020
Reading my favorite book (middle school edition)
“Knowing each other’s hurts made us close but also drove us apart. It’s hard to pretend you’re strong around someone who’s seen you at your weakest. Usually we needed to feel strong more than we needed each other.”
My heart is heavy.
Nostalgia is purely the reason why I rated this so high. I found the writing mediocre at best; even so I still very much enjoyed it. It took me back to when I was in middle school and even then, I was in search of books the represented my current climate. Without getting into details, it’s a story that resonated with me at the time. Upon my reread, it still hit the same way it did back then.
“Knowing each other’s hurts made us close but also drove us apart. It’s hard to pretend you’re strong around someone who’s seen you at your weakest. Usually we needed to feel strong more than we needed each other.”
My heart is heavy.
Nostalgia is purely the reason why I rated this so high. I found the writing mediocre at best; even so I still very much enjoyed it. It took me back to when I was in middle school and even then, I was in search of books the represented my current climate. Without getting into details, it’s a story that resonated with me at the time. Upon my reread, it still hit the same way it did back then.
December 11, 2010
In the captivating story “Party Girls “by Ewing Lynne, Kata let us into her world or drugs, drinking, gang life, and sex. Kata was living a life that no teenager should ever live. This book is very awesome, This makes me think that because by the way my character reacted towards the situations she had face in her life.
kata wasn’t one of the “goodie, goodie” girls but she did had a friend that was Anna. Anna died basically how a women will die for love. Anna was a sweetheart, she fell in love with a guy she wasn’t suppose to fall in love with but did anyways, I mean by that is that her “barrio” or neighborhood didn’t get along with the other neighborhood. Anna had fallen in love with someone from the other neighborhood.
It lead to a whole new story, But did that Whole new story lead to a happily ever after or a bad ending? Unfortunately bad ending that night Anna convence that she was pregnant and all that went through Katas mine was a shocker instead of celebrating her “Quinceneria”,they were about to be celebrating her baby shower. Anna said she was very scare and hadn’t told her parents. Anna died in a Drive_by that night in front of Kata. Kata was very destroy because Anna was like a sister to her,and her death hurt her so much
Anna’s death sex,ganglife, drugs,drinking ,drama and much more.What really Happen to Anna’s life ?why they shot Anna and her baby ?What happen to the father?Well if you so interesting I REALLY RECOMMEND YOU THIS BOOK !This book really touch my heart when Anna died, I hope you read and enjoy
kata wasn’t one of the “goodie, goodie” girls but she did had a friend that was Anna. Anna died basically how a women will die for love. Anna was a sweetheart, she fell in love with a guy she wasn’t suppose to fall in love with but did anyways, I mean by that is that her “barrio” or neighborhood didn’t get along with the other neighborhood. Anna had fallen in love with someone from the other neighborhood.
It lead to a whole new story, But did that Whole new story lead to a happily ever after or a bad ending? Unfortunately bad ending that night Anna convence that she was pregnant and all that went through Katas mine was a shocker instead of celebrating her “Quinceneria”,they were about to be celebrating her baby shower. Anna said she was very scare and hadn’t told her parents. Anna died in a Drive_by that night in front of Kata. Kata was very destroy because Anna was like a sister to her,and her death hurt her so much
Anna’s death sex,ganglife, drugs,drinking ,drama and much more.What really Happen to Anna’s life ?why they shot Anna and her baby ?What happen to the father?Well if you so interesting I REALLY RECOMMEND YOU THIS BOOK !This book really touch my heart when Anna died, I hope you read and enjoy
May 30, 2013
This novel is about two 14 year old friends Kata and Ana. They are very close friends that they are a part of one another. When coming home from a winning a dance compettion Ana reveals a secret to Kata that she is pregnant but not by her boyfriend. then when getting off the bus Ana is shot and murdered by a rival gang. This was the piont where Katas life changed. From being a party girl she becomes a deppresed girl. Although she is backed-up with protection by her gang, Kata's quest for violence and revenge die down after she sees that that is not the solution. She then plans out how she will leave the gang life.
I certainly recomnd this book because it shows what gangs could do and hurt those whom are close to us. I recomnd this book because itsoutstanding the way the from revenge and the need to kill for those who hurt us die down.This book is like no other that will usually seek for revenge. If I were to grade this book based on recomindations i will give it an A.
This novel is great because even though someone full of joy and happiness is full of anger, comes to sense that that is no the solution to all problems. In my prespective this book shows more of a indirect lesson for girls.
I certainly recomnd this book because it shows what gangs could do and hurt those whom are close to us. I recomnd this book because itsoutstanding the way the from revenge and the need to kill for those who hurt us die down.This book is like no other that will usually seek for revenge. If I were to grade this book based on recomindations i will give it an A.
This novel is great because even though someone full of joy and happiness is full of anger, comes to sense that that is no the solution to all problems. In my prespective this book shows more of a indirect lesson for girls.
January 19, 2010
Party Girl is a really good book. Kata is living the life of a gangster. Kata was devastated when her best friend Ana died. She thought she would never dance again. Kata had to worry about getting shot when walking the streets. Her mom's an alcoholic and brings home different guys everyday. I'm glad Kata turned her life around and decided to make something out of it. She deserves the world.
This book is about gangs and violence. Violence among teens is a really big issue nowadays. I couldn't live the life of someone in a gang. I would be terrified if I had someone looking for me and ready to kill. Once your in the gang they say there is no way out. I personally would never join a gang.
I would recommend this book to anyone. It's a great book. It will teach you to appreciate what you have and to care about the ones you love because you never know when they will be gone. I don't even know what i would do if i lost any of my friends or family.
This book is about gangs and violence. Violence among teens is a really big issue nowadays. I couldn't live the life of someone in a gang. I would be terrified if I had someone looking for me and ready to kill. Once your in the gang they say there is no way out. I personally would never join a gang.
I would recommend this book to anyone. It's a great book. It will teach you to appreciate what you have and to care about the ones you love because you never know when they will be gone. I don't even know what i would do if i lost any of my friends or family.
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June 5, 2009I read the book Party Girl and I liked it because it deals with a lot of real life problems a person could ponteintally be going through or have gone through. So starting with the fact that Kata's mama is an alcholic and I'm pretty sure at least one in 5 families have someone in their family that is or was at one point or another. Also Kata having to be practically independent becasue her mama is an alcohilic and becasue her mama is one I think that is why kata is the way she is like being in a gang and I think she joined the gang so she could have at least some type of family. So in my opinion I hope that anyone who would read this would enjoy it as much as I did becasue it is a really good book that deals with a lot of problems that people go through everyday.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2013
Party Girl it's a good book for teenage girls who like gangs and violence novels.
I liked Party girl because I can relate myself with the main character and her feelings. We both lost our dance partner in drive-by, and what she felt when she lost her dance partner was the same feeling I felt when my dance partner died too. I could feel her pain by just reading word by word. I also like this book because it gives hope for a brighter future to the teenage girls who are living the gangster.I would of liked the book better if it was longer and if the ending was different but overall Party Girl it's a good book.
Party Girl introduce us to the world of drugs, drinking, gang life, and sex from the point of view of a girl.
I liked Party girl because I can relate myself with the main character and her feelings. We both lost our dance partner in drive-by, and what she felt when she lost her dance partner was the same feeling I felt when my dance partner died too. I could feel her pain by just reading word by word. I also like this book because it gives hope for a brighter future to the teenage girls who are living the gangster.I would of liked the book better if it was longer and if the ending was different but overall Party Girl it's a good book.
Party Girl introduce us to the world of drugs, drinking, gang life, and sex from the point of view of a girl.
July 30, 2009
This book was AMAZING!! It showed me how Kata had a rough childhood while growing up, with hardly any parents around because her mother was a sexual alcoholic who always had different men in the house 24/7 while she never got to meet her father. I felt like Kata thought that she couldn't be or live without her best friend Ana when she appearently got shot in a drive by. Kata realized that she could continue throughout her life with her mother who appearently got sober for herself and daughter, her mother stayed with the man she fell in love with who loves Kata as a daughter as well and then Kata made the best out of her life and they all lived happily together.
November 11, 2011
PArty girl is a short story where it shows the reality in the ghetto life of now a days!
i recommend it for older adults 18 and over because is too intense and there a couple of cursing words in it!
i also recommend it for gang members who think being part of one is cool!
its also a very sad story because its two best friends who are gang members and they love to dance!
but on daily basics all they can hope for is save their own lives! but at the end kate sees her best friend ana die!
and all along ana's mom did not know her daughter was part of a gang until her funeral and her mom was confused to seeing all those gang members there!
i recommend it for older adults 18 and over because is too intense and there a couple of cursing words in it!
i also recommend it for gang members who think being part of one is cool!
its also a very sad story because its two best friends who are gang members and they love to dance!
but on daily basics all they can hope for is save their own lives! but at the end kate sees her best friend ana die!
and all along ana's mom did not know her daughter was part of a gang until her funeral and her mom was confused to seeing all those gang members there!
August 15, 2014
Bought this book for my classroom, as Drive By (same author) is one of our classroom independent reading selections. I thought I better read it first, just to be sure it was ok. It is! A very quick read (110 pages, took me an hour and a half), filled with the unfortunate honesty of urban youth caught in gang life that is too often our children's reality. Ewing reveals "enough" without crossing into questionable, or inappropriate. I will definitely add it to our class library; and I certainly recommend to anyone (parents and children) who need to see a light in their darkness; or perhaps need to have a light shed on a darkness they know little about.
June 7, 2011
This book was good, because it shows gang life from the point of view of a girl. I liked how it kept you readig and you felt the pain of the girl. It had alot of emotion in every page. You can see the burden of growing up in a city where you need to chose right away what path you are going to choose. It shows her internal struggle with her life between her, her mom, and her "friends". It shows in a harsh way how bad running in gang life is. You can question yourself and see how you would take it, like whaat path you would choose.
June 25, 2015
This book was easy to read. I bet many of my students would relate to it. There was high suspense and smatterings of Spanish words that give it a great feel. It is set in LA and the author describes the hot California winds very well, calling for the protagonist to make bad choices. I think this could be compared to the classic The Outsiders but for this milennium. There is only one part that doesn't make it timeless: when the characters are looking through cassette tapes. Otherwise, it will be my go-to for reluctant readers.
February 27, 2009
Party Girl is a good book if you’re looking for a fast, short read. The plot of the book was well thought out, but personally I think that the author could have done a lot more with it. She could have expanded on topics that were major in the book, like the relationship between Kata and Ana or their gang life. I would recommend this book for teens who just want a quick book about struggling teens in dangerous situations.
June 15, 2009
Party Girl was a awesome book. I was just currently reading this before the summer started. I believed I finished it in less that 2 weeks. It was just to good. It was hysterically funny but then got into a sad mood because the main character, Dreamer, bestfriend died. She then wanted revenge and almost got herself in some trouble. It was all for her bestfriend who she loved so it counted alot to her!
October 1, 2010
I feel really bad that Ponco had to suffer becuase of his mom, which suffers because of he husband. It's a change reaction. Kata learnes her lesson about gangs, but is too late because of Ana's death. It's really sad. At least her mother finally learns about Kata's life and to try to stop her drinking and money problems.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2011
Kata and Ana were gang girls whose main claim to fame was their ability to dance. Kata doesn't want to be owned by any of the boys in the gang but Ana thinks she is pregnant by one of them. Then A na dies in a driveby and Kata wants revenge. But her revenge will just force her deeper into the gang.
December 15, 2016
In my opinion this is a really good book because it talks a lot about what happens in today's days it also talks about friend ship and how important it is. I really enjoyed reading this book because it made me realized that i should love my best friend even more because you don't know when will be the last time you'll see her.
October 24, 2008
Kata and Ana are 15 years old, best friends and members of the same gang. When Ana is shot by a rival gang, Kata can think of nothing but revenge. Just how many ways are there to get out of the life? Find out in Lynne Ewing’s Party Girl.
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December 6, 2011 i like this book cause it is so tunching and ssad cause she lost her friend and she had to go thought alot of thing in time and she was like these sheet girls. she had to ake her money on her own her mom had a boy friend her mom was a crack head and she alwasy went to partys to.
February 21, 2014
This book is for young readers. I think it is important for any girl, if not Hispanic girls to read this book. Very relevant to young women who live in areas where there is any sort of gang activity. Read this book if you want an interesting read.
February 11, 2014
This was a book that I read over and over again growing up. It's rated 5 stars purely for the nostalgic value it holds for me. It is one of the first books I remember that really sparked my love for reading. I need to own it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews