Author: Jennifer Mathieu
Publisher & Date: Square Fish, 2 Jun 2015
Page Count: 224 pages
ISBN: 978-1250063021
Age/Reading Level: 10-18/Grades 5-12
Representation: Female main character
Other Information: Although Lexile and ATOS scores for the book place it as appropriate for younger grade students (ages 10-12), most teachers and parents agree that the subject matter is more appropriate for older grade school students (ages 13-18).
Book Information
A powerful feminist novel that deals with slut-shaming, told through the perspectives of four small-town teens, about how everyone has a motive to bring―and keep―a teen girl down.
Everyone knows Alice slept with two guys at one party. When Healy High star quarterback Brandon Fitzsimmons dies in a car crash, it was because he was sexting with Alice. Ask anybody.
Rumor has it Alice Franklin is a slut. It’s written all over the “slut stall” in the girls’ bathroom: “Alice had sex in exchange for math test answers” and “Alice got an abortion last semester.” After Brandon dies, the rumors start to spiral out of control. In this remarkable debut novel, four Healy High students tell all they “know” about Alice-and in doing so reveal their own secrets and motivations, painting a raw look at the realities of teen life. But in this novel from Jennifer Mathieu, exactly what is the truth about Alice? In the end there’s only one person to ask: Alice herself.
This title has Common Core connections.
Challenges & Bans
This title is often challenged due to the discussions of gender inequality and sexual activity.
Specific Challenges*:
Awards & Accolades
2015 Children’s Choice Book Awards’ Teen Choice Debut Author Award (winner), 2014 Goodreads Choice Award (nominee), Amazon’s Best YA Books of 2014
