Book Review: Wintergirls
There is one word to describe this book: Stunning. I eagerly added Wintergirls
to my middle school library’s book shelves because 8th grade girls were chomping at the bit to read it. When a very excited 8th grade girl dropped the book off the day before vacation, I saw my chance to get my hands on this must-read.
I was not let down. Was it difficult to read at times? Yes. Was I wondering how my students felt and what they thought as they read it, too? Definitely. Was I kept up way past my bedtime on a school night because I couldn’t put it down? Oh, ya. It is one of those books that I found myself breaking all of the “turn off the lights” bargains I was making for myself at the end of each chapter. I just had to keep turning the pages.
Cassie is dead. They way she dies, which is described later in the book, is horrifying, tragic, and ultimately preventable. 18 year old Lia, still living, is Cassie’s former best friend and easting-disorder companion. Cassie suffered from bulimia and Lia suffers from anorexia. To make matters complicated, as they usually are for a teenager, Lia’s parents are divorced. She currently lives with her father, his wife and her stepsister, Emma. Thank goodness for Emma. I do not think Lia would have survived without the undeniable love she has for her sister.
Sentences are peppered with calorie counts and obsessive thinking, especially when it comes to food. The narration is painful, gripping, hopeful, and incredibly real. Anderson (who I firmly believe is one of the greatest writers to ever create literature for young people) dives head first into the minds of eating disordered and depressed teens. We read Lia’s thoughts and feel her obsessions along with her, especially when the calories, weights, and slashed out words are sprawled across the page.
That said, this book is not for every teenage girl or boy. I would strongly discourage 6th grade students from checking it out of the library. There may be a 7th grade student who I feel is mature enough to enter into this world, but we would have to discuss together the extreme nature of the content and why the student really wants to read it. Even some 8th grade students may feel it’s too much for them to handle. This is one of those books that I discuss with all interested students ahead of time to make sure that they’re ready for its subject matter.
If you work in a middle school, how do you handle purchasing and cataloging books that you know you want 8th grade students to access but also want 6th grade students to avoid?
Next on the reading list? Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. I’m also reading The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. About time, right?
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