Definitely Cool

by Brenda Wilkinson

Roxanne desperately wants to be part of the "cool" crowd at her new school. But Roxanne feels pressured to keep up with this flashy crowd. And when they watn her to break the rules, Roxanne knows she must figure out what's really cool. A truly contemporary novel that realistically portrays a young girl's growing up.

Library Binding

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roxanne is twelve and finally going to middle school (seventh grade). She wants to dress cool and make cool new friends, not just hang out with the same boy from elementary school who lives in her building.

It took me a bit to get into this story, because I never cared about dressing cool or being cool. I had my small group of friends and that was that. When Roxanne also makes a small group of friends, the story picks up a bit. One of them is always absent, and another two get too focused on boys. The fourth friend is white, and knows more about the one who disappears all the time than she is willing to share.

I do like Roxanne's parents, their rules and expectations. Her mother tells her to change the way she speaks when she gets to school. The kids talk about race, racism, and code switching without using those terms, just in normal conversation.

I think this story still stands up in 2026.