Girls Out Late

Girls #3

by Jacqueline Wilson

Nine o'clock. That's when Ellie has to be home. Her dad thinks it's not safe any later. But then the most amazing, magical thing happens. Out with her best friends Magda and Nadine, she meets a boy. And it's her he's interested in - not drop-dead gorgeous Magda or super-cool Nadine. But will Russell stay interested in a girl who has to be home by nine?

Genres: Young Adult, Childrens, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Middle Grade, Teen

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Jacqueline Wilson was born in Bath in 1945, but spent most of her childhood in Kingston-on-Thames. She always wanted to be a writer and wrote her first ‘novel’ when she was nine, filling in countless Woolworths’ exercise books as she grew up. As a teenager she started work for a magazine publishing company and then went on to work as a journalist on Jackie magazine (which she was told was named after her!) before turning to writing novels full-time.

One of Jacqueline’s most successful and enduring creations has been the famous Tracy Beaker, who first appeared in 1991 in The Story of Tracy Beaker. This was also the first of her books to be illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Since then Jacqueline has been on countless awards shortlists and has gone on to win many awards. The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the 1999 Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book Award.

Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.

Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million!

In 2002 Jacqueline was awarded the OBE for services to literacy in schools and from 2005 to 2007 she was the Children’s Laureate. In 2008 she became Dame Jacqueline Wilson.

Reviews

[Laura Lovesreading]

My goodness was we all reckless like this as teenagers?

The trio is back in the third of the series and our girl Ellie has finally bagged herself a guy who is completely into her and her only. We follow Ellie swooning over Loverboy Russel, Nadine dealing with past boy woes and Magda dealing with a mega crush on her art teacher.

Whew pass me an aspirin, because this third book was a HEADACHE! Honestly all of the girls were so silly and reckless in this one and I just wanted to bang all their heads together. Stranger Danger was not even a concept in this storyline, and they were all running towards Red Flags like it just came into fashion!

Now I can give a bit of compassion when it comes to the girls because they are just teens after all and are bound to make mistakes after mistakes, but you know who really irked me in this book?... THE PARENTS! Ellie’s dad, stepmom Anna and Nadine’s mother all need a SLAP! Frankly they were behaving worse than the girls and it was shocking to read.

Ellie’s dad conversing with Ellie about him and Anna’s relationship was so annoying to me. Why did he feel like that was a suitable conversation to have with his preteen daughter.

Then Anna throwing all caution to the wind and letting Ellie go and be gallivanting out and alone with a boy she barely knows was mind numbingly panful to read. Anna I know you are trying to be a “cool stepmom” or whatever but ARE YOU DUMB!?. No common sense whatsoever!

The girls were extremely boy hungry in this book and it was slightly nauseating to read, because I know for a fact younger me was probably just as bad and obsessed! LOL
There is one more book left in the series and I’m heading to read it straight away because I’m too excited to read the new release (Think Again) of the girls now in their 40s. I wonder how life has shaped them!
Again, I am not rating this series, as I’m only reading to remember the characters and the issues they dealt/ went through and for nostalgic purposes.

ONTO BOOK FOUR… GIRLS IN TEARS




-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
⋆｡°✩pre read⋆｡°✩
Onto book #3
Following the adventures of my favourite girly trio
Looks like my girl Ellie has bagged herself a guy! I hope it ends well and not in tears!😌❤️💚

[Fozz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can barely name one decent man in this book series.

[[ J o ] · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read as part of The Infinite Variety Reading Challenge, based on the BBC's Big Read Poll of 2003.

Don't get in to strangers' vans, kids.





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[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third in the "Girls" series, as Ellie and her friends start exploring relationships. Wilson expertly tackles issues surrounding teenaged friendship when boys become involved! I recall much of this book emphasising issues surrounding consent and stranger danger, as the three friends go to a concert and decide to go off with some shady boys in a van they have only just met.

I really enjoyed this book and re-read it many times as a young teen myself. I was upset when the series ended, although a fourth and final book was subsequently released some time later.

[Ashleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why am I still reading this series?

So this book is by far the worst in the series so far. Ellie is even more annoying, Nadine and Magda keep doing stupid stuff and the love interest is barely a good person. Honestly, it's hard to believe sometimes that these girls are supposed to be 13 years old. They go from acting like childish schoolgirls (which they are) to super mature boy-addicts who apparently have grown men throwing themselves at them. What?

Russell - fuck you. I found him very emotionally manipulating and I hated him shaming Ellie for her friends and the fact that she wanted to go to the concert with them over a dance with him. Firstly, she barely knows you and she's been friends with these girls for years. Secondly, the concert was planned first so fuck you for trying to shame her into letting her friends down. I don't like him already.

Also, a warning to any younger readers: DO NOT JUMP IN A VAN WITH RANDOM MEN THAT YOU MET 5 SECONDS BEFORE AND GO TO A SECOND LOCATION WITH THEM. I mean, it's common sense but that scene PISSED ME RIGHT OFF. It was so dangerous and unbelievable. I have no idea how they got out of that situation unhurt.

I guess I'll have to read the next book to finish my read-through BUT I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT.

[Chloe Reads Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfectly fun read. I really do struggle with an age range for these books. It's written like MG/ young-YA, and the characters are YOUNG but there's talks of sex, all focused on having a boyfriend, and in this one even a very scary experience at the end. I do feel like they should've faced scarier, tougher consequences here as it's not something young teens should take lightly.

[Motherbooker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been rereading the whole of Jacquline Wilson's Girls series in the last week and the previous instalments have been wonderfully nostalgic. When I was younger, the third book in the series wasn't my favourite. Out of them all, it was the one that I related to the least and I just really hated Russell. Ellie and her friends were just making stupid mistakes left right and centre. For me, it seemed to be verging away from reality a bit more. I also wasn't impressed with the continuity from the previous book. In Girls Under Pressure, Ellie started to suffer from an eating disorder and there is very little mention to it here. Ellie seemed to get over it quickly and I think it really diminished the power of the previous book. Watching her slow recovery and her slow acceptance of her body would have been more impactful than her getting over it almost instantly.

Yes, there are a few mentions about eating and feeling fat here but the topic of this book is definitely on other things. This is the book where Ellie gets her first real boyfriend and has to deal with the headaches that come along with it. She meets an older boy on an evening out with her friends and he ends up walking her home. Unfortunately, they get a bit distracted and Ellie ends up getting home late. Her dad and stepmother ground her which results in Ellie starting her rebellious teen phase. Sneaking out to meet her new boyfriend and lying to her dad become second nature. But what will Ellie do when she has to choose between her boyfriend and her best friends?

Especially as they're both making silly mistakes as well. Nadine is still sorting out her feelings for her creepy ex-boyfriend Liam. When she spots him with a girl in the year below, she can't help herself and decides to confront him. But will Nadine go back to him? At the same time, Magda has developed an intense crush on the girls' art teacher and decides she has to tell him. What will happen when she goes to visit him at his flat? Adding to Ellie's woes is her home life. Anna, her stepmother, starts to worry that her dad is having an affair. What will it mean for Ellie is Anna leaves just as they're starting to become friends?

There's a lot going on in this book but we never really get time to deal with it. This was the first book that made me feel as though Wilson was trying to do too much. I understand that she's looking at the different aspects of being a teenage girl but there are four separate storylines to contend with. This means most of them end up being thin and underdeveloped. The focus is, obviously on Ellie and Russell, and the others just sort of happen in the background. Fights take place and are resolved a page later. I just wish that this had been more focused. It makes the novel feel messy when you compare it to the previous two novels. It also feels kind of boring at the same time. I know you'd think that is as crammed with plot points as this would feel anything but. However, the lack of depth to it all just makes the whole thing quite dull.

I also think that Wilson maybe went a bit too far with her stories. I know that teenage girls have different experiences but I also think the scenarios in this book are a bit too melodramatic. The girls' night out in London feels like something out of a soap opera and even as a teenager I thought it was a bit ridiculous. 14-year-old girls as stupid but to get in a van with a load of strange men? I'm not sure the majority of teens would take that path. Then there's Magda's storyline. That just made me cringe. Yes, teenage girls get crushes on their teachers all the time but to have her go to his flat? It's just ridiculous. And I wasn't happy about the way she resolved that storyline. It sends the wrong message.

Finally, and most importantly, there's the central relationship of the whole book. Let's be honest, Russell is a terrible boyfriend. He emotionally blackmails Ellie into doing things she doesn't want to do. He's jealous of her friends. Tries to push her into moving too quickly. Shames her. Speaks down to her. He treats her so badly but we're supposed to find him endearing. Ellie lets him get away with this behaviour and then Wilson paints their relationship as a fairytale ending. This isn't the type of relationship that we should be encouraging young girls to be striving for. The last book in this series was dealing with an important issue for young people. This one just feels like trash in comparison. As if Wilson just went down the road of basic romance. It's disappointing. 

[Katie Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I sort of wish the original series had finished here as this book was still strong overall, with some quite compelling bits of plot in there. The stranger danger scene where they end up in some shady guy's van still had an adult me on the edge of my seat.

It was both nice to see Ellie get a boyfriend and frustrating to see the lack of support from her friends, and I also don't particularly like Russel in this book. he gets worse but that's for another review.

One thing that I didn't notice as a kid was the age differences between the girls and the boys they dated. These girls are 13-14 being pursued by 16-19 year olds which is SO creepy retrospectively. Makes me really dislike all the boyfriend characters from the get go. But I do remember being that age and all the girls wanted older boyfriends, so it is realistic (unfortunately).

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Source: I own this book.
Cost: Unknown

Title: Girls Out Late
Series: Girls #3
Author: Jacqueline Wilson
Overall Rating: 3 stars

In some ways, this is my favourite in the series.

But in other ways, it's my least favourite. But I think it all comes down to the age thing.

Reading this at the age it was intended for, I loved it, I thought Russell was so nice and I loved the idea of breaking Curfew. However, now, I just see Ellie as kind of stupid and boy obsessed, she's 14. It doesn't matter if you have a boyfriend or not, I went to an all girls school so maybe that's why I have no sympathy there. We just sort of didn't care about boys in our school, because there was none.

I just didn't enjoy revisiting this one.

[Keira Ephraims · Rating 1 out of 5]

I revisited this book from my early teens to have a laugh at what I used to read. Not only do I think it's highly inappropriate for teens to believe its acceptable to arrive home at midnight at age 14 which I remember puzzling me greatly, I also think that Jacqueline's teens were far different to the ones of the girls described in the book.
It's a cute read but completely unbelievable and found myself doing a giant eye roll throughout the evening.

[Charlotte]

Why am I getting Vietnam style flashbacks now Russell is in the series, he’s defo a cock, I can sense it
Also Nadine is a horrible friend, & makes such bad life decisions involving adult men every book? Why are adults sleazing on a year 9. I remember what I looked like in year 9 in the early 00s, no one was mistaking me for 18

[Faye Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this as an adult, I found myself with the same frustrations I had when I was 12/13 - don't bin off your friends for boys and don't get into random strangers' vans! That said, it is still a fairly accurate (albeit condensed) window into teenage priorities and I doubt the narrative has changed much since.

[Shabana Mukhtar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I downloaded it randomly. The cover was cute.

The book started cute too. Then it got a bit stretchy. The end in particular was a tad bit boring.


It is about three girlfriends in year nine and rneire adventures with each other and boys.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read a few of Jacqueline Wilson's books by now, and I do recall quite liking Double Act and not disliking whatever the other one I read was - though nothing too special, she can write a very natural, realistic voice for a young girl.

This book, however... wow no. See, to ME, it just wasn't that realistic - nor were any of the characters likable. I swapped it through readitswapit.co.uk because I'm more keen on sending out my books to good homes that I'll swap with almost anything that sounds halfway decent. (*cough*Sweet*cough* another disaster!) This didn't even make a quarter.

First of all, I didn't like Ellie much. I didn't enjoy her voice at all - too boy-obsessed AND only 13. Come on, really? Really?? And then, she meets Russell - she's sketching him while he's sketching her in McDonald's. And he's in year 11 (so I assume 16), and he totally gets on the same bus as her and wants to walk her home, with a detour on the way to a park. Where they practically make out, after having known each other for all of an hour. I'm sorry, but it just read like he was coming on WAY too strongly. At one point he was about to grope her chest and Ellie was all thinking, do I want this? But then I *don't* want him to think I'm all uptight, so okay I'll let him go this far... and this could have totally turned into a cautionary tale about how It's Okay To Say No, but it didn't. Blah.

Also, I can't buy a 13-year-old staying out until 11 and whining that her friends can stay out past midnight. THIRTEEN. I don't think her 9pm curfew is that bad at ALL for her age.

And then Russell is a total douche, I'm sorry. I mean he throws a whiny hissy-fit about Ellie spending time with her girlfriends, like she dares to think they're more important than him. Magda's father bought their concert tickets ages before he invited her to the dance. He wants her to just ditch her friends and be rude to Magda's father. Pssht, douche.

And then the ending was just crap and awful with the whole going in the sketchy van of the sketchy boys debacle... again, could have been a cautionary tale! And okay in that case it was a little, though of course nothing too bad happened. But ughhhh, those three girls were dreadful and shallow and so unbelievable as 13-year-olds. Or are kids really like that these days?! I refuse to believe it. But come on, the BSC were 13... and sure they weren't entirely that believable either, but at least they didn't behave like these three did!

[Faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Re-read, 06/06/2024
Russell was and is a CREEP.



Original 2022 review:
Girls Out Late is when Ellie finally gets the boyfriend she's been dreaming of. However I've never been able to enjoy the relationship nor this book, because her boyfriend is incredibly dodgy. Russell is sixteen. Ellie is thirteen. Sure three years isn't much between adults, but adolescents are so developmentally different physically and emotionally every year of their lives. Ellie is a literal child, and Russell is an adult in quite a few contexts. It's disgusting, I think back to when I was sixteen and none of us could imagine dating anyone from the year below - three years below is just horrifying. I thought the turn for the worst only came in Girls In Tears when Russell keeps trying to use Ellie for sex, but it's that way in this book too. He's practically necking on with her after she's tried to escape many times on the first night they've met. She says no, and he keeps trying to touch her. It's awful and never treated as such.

We had a similar setup in Girls In Love, when Liam was using Nadine for sex. But at least that book had the sense to call Liam the creep he was and made it clear he was taking advantage of Nadine. No such luck here, though.

Russell also tells Ellie she's Not Like Other Girls, which is a huge red flag.

One good thing about this book is the reference to Sylvia Plath's poetry in chapter three. I love a good Plath reference.

There are a lot of typos in this book. I remember one or two in my old hardcover edition, but you'd think by the 2016 edition they'd have fixed them.

One thing that's always stuck out to me is the way Magda speaks when talking about her encounter with Mr Windsor. I can see her calling herself "batty" and maybe even "barking mad", but a fourteen year old girl saying "pussyfooting around"????

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

i completely forgot how stupid this book is. i enjoyed the previous ones because they were relatable and taught some kind of lesson but this one was just plain stupid. i hated ellies relationship with russell and she was just acting completely weird with him. he seems like an extremely creepy guy and i didn't like him at all. every single one of the situations described in this book seemed a little over the top and and i kind of started disliking ellie and her way of thinking.

[Mia 🌱 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh God I literally do not like Ellie and I find her character so annoying. Thus, it was difficult to like the story itself. Personally did not enjoy this one.

[Ivana Oltovska · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book series when I was a teenager and love it now :)))

[Alicia K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellie, Nadine and Magda are truly insane but it made for great literature

[Jen | jenreadsx · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like to think that 13/14yr old girls are smarter than they were in 2003 but I’m not so certain on this one

Gosh I hope girls didn’t think this is what they were supposed to act like as teens

[Sarah ♡ (let’s interact!) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Girls Out Late is definitely a book that I remembered enjoying much more in my youth than on this re-read. Still enjoyable and easy to get through, though. It’s the third installment of the Girls series and this one focuses more on the girls’ different relationships with boys as they progress through high school - specifically Ellie with a new lad from a nearby Boy’s School called Russell. He seems to be all about her, not like how boys are usually into her two best friends, Magda and Nadine, more. But will she be able to hang out with Russell much as her Dad is being strict with how late she is allowed to stay out for? Especially after she came home at 11pm one night after meeting Russell!
Also, how will the three girls handle travelling into London by train and tube on their own to go to their favourite popstar’s concert?

3 Stars

[Katie Booth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really enjoying taking part in the Nostalgic read-along with @thistashreads and it is just reminding me how different things were back in the 90s! 😅 I think as an educational professional and adult, I read this completely differently! I loved the fact that I actually found the MMC cringy but actually like him towards the end! 🤣 it had more drama then I ever expected it to have but still related to some aspects of it!

[Catrin Thomas]

Russell makes me sick.

[Leanne Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blast from the past

[Eva Brundula · Rating 5 out of 5]

zanimiva pred koncem napeta konec beden

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book that I read from Jacqueline Wilson amazing I got obsessed and got more. I recommend it

[Marianna Sharktooth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Έχω υπάρξει το κορίτσι που έπρεπε μέχρι τις 22.00 να είμαι σπίτι, και το βιβλίο αυτό, αν και απευθυνόμενο σε έφηβες (κάτι που δεν είμαι) μου έφερε όμορφες αναμνήσεις...

[denudatio_pulpae]

Nie mam nawet zbyt wielkiej ochoty na znęcanie się nad tą książką. Nigdy więcej tych głupich dziewuch, nigdy więcej Jacqueline Wilson! Ludzie, dzięki którym cztery książki tej autorki znalazły się na liście BBC, powinni pójść siedzieć. A odsiadując wyrok powinni mieć dostęp czytelniczy wyłącznie do instrukcji obsługi tostera.

Przepraszam wszystkich, dla których książki tej autorki stanowią jakąś wartość sentymentalną. Naprawdę rozumiem, że dla kogoś mogą one stanowić miłe wspomnienie, sama jako nastolatka czytałam "Pamiętnik księżniczki" Meg Cabot i mam dla tej książki sporo pozytywnych uczuć, które z obiektywizmem mają niewiele wspólnego. Dlatego konsekwentnie powstrzymuję się od wystawienia negatywnej oceny dla książek autorki.

Książki Jacqueline Wilson są jednak dla mnie nie do zniesienia. Za stara jestem na czytanie o obmacujących się trzynastolatkach.

[Marcelina Szulc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pierwsza książka, którą przeczytałam po angielsku 😊 Z jednej strony byłam zachwycona, ale chyba tym, że czytałam właśnie po angielsku xd
Z drugiej strony główna bohaterka i jej 💅girlfriends💅 były tak wkurzające, że momentami nie mogłam wytrzymać. Zero instynktu przetrwania...