Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook. This article was originally published in the September 2016 issue of BookPage.
Thanks to Girard, hopefully more students will be able to look inward and show respect outward as they embrace all differences. “They should at least be able to see themselves reflected in there, even if they look all weird.” “People should just be allowed to look in the mirror and see all kinds of possibilities,” Girard writes. The truths that teens hold in their hearts-and the ones they sometimes show to the world-can be scary. With an OverDrive account, you can save your favorite libraries for at-a-glance information about availability. Fortunately, the beautiful girl of Pen’s dreams sees beyond stereotypes to forge a true romantic relationship. Girl Mans Up is a subtle book that resists flashy portrayals of instant change brought on by dramatic events, making it a testament to an authentic, gradual coming of age process.
Many readers will identify with Pen, who wants more than anything to be allowed to be herself. With raw, honest dialogue and vivid characterizations, Girl Mans Up will resonate beyond its intended audience. Pen not only learns to survive typical teenage problems, such as volatile, fickle friendships and old-school parents who try to turn her into someone she’s not, but also navigates the questions and expectations of her own sexuality and gender fluidity. Pen’s identity crisis is one of the central issues of Girl Mans Up, but debut author M-E Girard takes the tale well beyond the stereotypical comments from Pen’s peers. She knows she’s a girl, but even though she doesn’t want to be girly, she doesn’t want to be a boy either. Sixteen-year-old Penelope, known as Pen, is a Portuguese girl who wears black, talks tough and struggles with who she is. A teen faces down hostility, making her own decisions about loyalty, respect, and gender.
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