How Girls Are Made

Gr 10 Up–Shelby’s boyfriend publicly hits her; she dumps him and looks for a new normal. Jobie seeks admiration and validation and begins to find it with her new online friend. Fallon is horrified to discover how little her sister learned in sex education and realizes many of her fellow high schoolers may be in a similar boat. Though, from the outside, these three don’t have much in common, Shelby, Jobie, and Fallon decide to team up and begin a weekly group that aims to educate fellow female teens on their bodies and choices. While life may seem fine for them, each girl faces challenges that, in the end, leave one of them dead. McGinnis tackles the reality for young girls and teens as they grow into a society that presumes their ignorance while encumbering them with expectations. The three protagonists have distinct voices and issues they tackle throughout. This provides a great overview of some of the pressures and repercussions teens battle daily. Though the middle of the work features some repetitive points, the story moves quickly with an ending that will reel readers in as the devastation paints a grim truth. There is hope for two of the young women, but it does not come without consequences. Trigger warnings for emotional and physical abuse, PTSD, suicide, harassment, and sexual assault.