Common Sense Media Review
By Kate Pavao
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Schizophrenic plot mars book about first love.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Mary Jane is crushing on a boy with a queen-bee girlfriend, which leads to some girl drama -- and to some vicious rumors pegging the good girl Mary Jane as a \"slut.\"
\ Even after she wins the boy of her dreams, her life is in turmoil as she tries to decide if she should stay true to her abstinence pledge.
Is It Any Good?
This book has a cute premise: Mary Jane has two voices in her head: a good girl and a, well, not-so-good girl. These voices advise her about her relationship with Jackson, the boy she's fallen for, who is also dating Star, the popular, mean girl at school. The problem is, like the voices, the book is split in two with Mary Jane dealing with rumors Star is spreading about her and trying to decide whether to have sex with Jackson.
There is a good message here about learning to listen to yourself. And there's definitely a bunch of topics that parents will be able to discuss with younger teens. But in the end, readers won't be too interested in Mary Jane's voices, or her love story.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about their young teens' expectations about love and sex. What do you think about abstinence pledges? Also, why is it that girls often become victims of sexual rumors? Why do girls call one another sluts? Have you heard any of these rumors at your school?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Dutton Children's Books
- Publication date : January 18, 2007
- Number of pages : 240
- Last updated : September 15, 2015
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate