Good Girls

Gr 8 Up-Octavia Irving starts at Anne Bradstreet College at the beginning of her sophomore year of high school after getting into trouble when a party goes wrong. With the encouragement of her guidance counselor, Octavia joins the ABC debate team and is partnered with overachieving Allie Denning. Allie, a self-proclaimed "good girl" who never breaks the rules, is less than excited about this new arrangement. As they prepare for their first debate competition, free-spirited Octavia must adjust to the structure and demands of her new environment, while Allie learns that life exists outside academia. This is a strong inaugural volume in a coming-of-age series. With a steady pace, it creates an arching plot while only scratching the surface of the characters' rounded personalities, giving ample opportunity for more exploration in upcoming entries. It would be an ideal novel for reluctant readers who can't process lengthy stories. While Octavia and Allie are the focus, the supporting characters are developed, with interesting subplots. Romance is written into the story lines, but the main themes of this contemporary novel center on friendship, family conflict, and self-discovery.