Kim’s gang had better watch out! Tanya’s my friend now, and she’ll show them!
Mandy has been picked on at school for as long as she can remember, so she is
delighted when cheeky, full-of-fun Tanya befriends her. Mum isn’t happy, she
thinks Tanya’s a ‘bad girl’ and a bad influence. Is she or isn’t she?
Publishers Weekly
PW called this tale of a 10-year-old who flees three bullying classmates and
gets hit by a bus ‘tightly written.
The author proves that bad girls can make
for a good story.’ Ages 8-12. (Apr.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business
Information.
Publishers Weekly
Wilson (The Suitcase Kid) opens this tightly written tale with a bang:
10-year-old Mandy, after being humiliated by three bullying classmates, dashes
into the street and gets hit by a bus (she sprains her arm, but is otherwise
fine). Mandy’s first-person narrative then settles into a credible, engaging
account of how she copes with the ongoing taunting from these three ‘bad girls’
and with the coddling of her overprotective mother. The author compellingly
demonstrates the dramatic differences in the physical and emotional development
among fifth graders. Things begin to look up when Mandy meets 14-year-old
Tanya, a foster child who moves into a neighbor’s home. With her spiky orange
hair, high heels and cropped tops, Tanya couldn’t look more unlike the
bespectacled Mandy, whose mother dresses her in ‘stupid baby clothes’ and
insists she wear her hair in braids. Despite the differences in their ages and
backgrounds–and much to the chagrin of Mandy’s mother–the two develop a
friendship that enables the heroine to assert her individuality. Even after
Tanya must move to a ‘children’s home’ (after she, with Mandy in tow, gets
arrested for shoplifting), Mandy develops a strength and maturity that enable
her to relate better to her mother and to brush off the barbs of the bullies.
Shaping convincing characters, dialogue and plot, Wilson proves that bad girls
can make for a good story. Ages 9-12. (Feb.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business
Information.
Children’s Literature
There are all types of bad girls. Some are actually mean bullies that tease
and torment smaller, vulnerable girls who must face them everyday at school.
Others are just lonely and neglected, overcompensating for the tough life they
have been dealt. In this story, Mandy is one of the girls taunted by the first
kind of bad girl. Even her best friend has turned against her and joined forces
with her tormenters. At the bus stop, in the classroom and elsewhere, these
girls make fun of almost everything about Mandy. Just when Mandy thinks she
can’t take it any longer, Tanya moves in. Tanya is a foster child who has had a
tough life. She represents the second type of bad girl. In fact, she is
completely the opposite of Mandy. Even though Mandy’s parents aren’t excited
about her hanging out with Tanya, Tanya turns out to be Mandy’s most faithful
friend and defender. This is a great book about an issue that many girls deal
with¾teasing. It also deals with the concept of judging others, and is a
delightful book with many great lessons. 2001, Delacorte Press, $15.95. Ages 8
to 12.
Reviewer: Sheree Van Vreede
School Library Journal
Gr 4-6-Although sharing the same title as Cynthia Voigt’s Bad Girls
(Scholastic, 1996), the similarity ends there. When her friend Melanie teams up
with Kim and Sarah, 10-year-old Mandy White becomes the target of their taunts
and gets hit by a bus while trying to run away from them. Despite the efforts
of Mandy’s mother, teacher, and principal, the girls continue to bully, only
changing their tactics. Mandy copes better when she becomes friendly with
14-year-old Tanya, who lives in a foster-care home. Although Mandy disapproves
of Tanya’s shoplifting, the two end up at the police station when Tanya is
caught. The author’s depictions of the characters and situations ring true. The
British expressions give the story a sense of place and do not interfere with
its readability. It’s unfortunate that the lighthearted cartoon illustrations
belie the serious”
Paperback: 192 pages
Age Range: 9 – 11 years
Publisher: Yearling; New Ed edition (5 Oct. 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0440867622
ISBN-13: 978-0440867623
Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 1.2 x 19.8 cm