Common Sense Media Review
By Kya Jones
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Immigrant tween finds belonging in warm growing up tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In THE NEW GIRL, 12-year-old Lia is bummed that her family is immigrating from Romania to Montreal, Canada. To make matters worse, she gets her first period on moving day which can't be a good sign. Once she starts school, Lia's struggles to learn the language, has severe homesickness, and continues to have painful periods. Counting down the days until she can return to Romania feels like her only source of hope. However, once she makes friends and joins the school magazine as its newest artist, Lia's mood improves. That is, until one of her new friends becomes competition for her crush, leaving her feeling betrayed. Will Lia ever find her place as the new girl?
Is It Any Good?
A humorous story about the pitfalls of puberty, this book adds a lighthearted spin to an otherwise stressful time. The New Girl is a cute, realistic tale about all of the changes associated with growing up. Author-illustrator Cassandra Calin does a wonderful job at showing Lia's struggles as a fish out of water in a way that's relatable and endearing to middle grade readers. Calin's use of color-coded conversation bubbles and cutesy anime-style animations highlight Lia's challenges learning a new language and breathe life into the pains of adolescence and belonging. Parents and kids alike will appreciate having this book as a companion when navigating new experiences and environments.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about perseverance in The New Girl. Lia is not happy when she learns her family is moving to Canada from Romania. She struggles with the language and subsequently, with making friends at her new school. However, she keeps trying and eventually things start to turn around for her. When was a time you encountered obstacles in school? How did you overcome them?
Lia's period cramps are unbearable and she doesn't know how to soothe them. She talks to her friend, Ivana, and following her advice, begins to research and explore new period products to help ease her pain. How do you show curiosity when presented with new information? Share a time when you actively sought out information about a new, interesting subject. What did you learn?
When Bogdan arrives late to school from Romania, Lia shows compassion and befriends him so he feels accepted and welcomed in his new home. However, he rebuffs her kindness and their budding friendship falls apart as quickly as it begins. Have you ever shown compassion to someone and it wasn't appreciated? How did that make you feel?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Cassandra Calin
- Genre : Graphic Novel
- Topics : Friendship , School ( Middle School )
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Curiosity , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Graphix
- Publication date : June 4, 2024
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 12
- Number of pages : 272
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : May 1, 2026
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