Privilege is a pain when it means conforming. St Agnes School doesn't sound like an easy place to come out - a Catholic school, where the teachers don't dare say 'sex education' for fear of besmirching young minds or offending the parents.
Lauren has conflicting ideas. She wants tolerance and an open conversation about gender, yet she is the first to equate 'straight, white and cis' with 'ignorant'. I would be interested to see how she develops in that sense. She claims to be friendless, but some of her issues seem to be about her inability to come out. There is an ex-friend, and I want to find out what has happened between them. Lauren also has a boyfriend who she appears to need rather than like - given he sees her as an excuse for sex, at first glance he seems pretty unlikable.
Lauren's voice reminded me of Meg Rosoff's 'What I Was' - witty, observant, and at odds with the opportunities she has been granted early in life because they do not match her social ideals. Like Rosoff's protagonist, Lauren needs a space where she can feel comfortable with her own identity. I wonder whether the upcoming school play might be this metaphoric space?
I wonder why the washing symbols on the cover indicate hand wash only? Is this a metaphor for people's assumptions about girls? The book looks set to challenge stereotypes about girls.
A voice which is witty, gritty and exceptionally bright.
Lauren has conflicting ideas. She wants tolerance and an open conversation about gender, yet she is the first to equate 'straight, white and cis' with 'ignorant'. I would be interested to see how she develops in that sense. She claims to be friendless, but some of her issues seem to be about her inability to come out. There is an ex-friend, and I want to find out what has happened between them. Lauren also has a boyfriend who she appears to need rather than like - given he sees her as an excuse for sex, at first glance he seems pretty unlikable.
Lauren's voice reminded me of Meg Rosoff's 'What I Was' - witty, observant, and at odds with the opportunities she has been granted early in life because they do not match her social ideals. Like Rosoff's protagonist, Lauren needs a space where she can feel comfortable with her own identity. I wonder whether the upcoming school play might be this metaphoric space?
I wonder why the washing symbols on the cover indicate hand wash only? Is this a metaphor for people's assumptions about girls? The book looks set to challenge stereotypes about girls.
A voice which is witty, gritty and exceptionally bright.