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Girl Stuff

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Girl Stuff
By Lisi Harrison
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2021. Fiction.

Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie have been best friends and neighbors since they were little but they have never gone to the same school -- until this year. The first year of middle school brings big changes for the friends -- Fonda is excited to have a group of friends as close as The Avas, the popular girl clique who ran the school in elementary school; Drew is excited to transfer from a private school so she doesn't have to wear a uniform everyday and maybe to get closer to the cute boy she met over the summer; and Ruthie is excited to spend time with her friends and go to a normal school after years spent at an alternative school. But on the very first day, things don't go as planned. Ruthie is placed in the talented and gifted period where the students are kept totally separate, Drew's crush, Will, pretends not to remember her from summer camp, and Fonda's plans are derailed.

This is a cute tween novel about friendship and growing up. Younger middle school readers will see their own experiences reflected in Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie's story and will be happy to learn this is the start of a planned series. The writing in this book is fun and engaging and is perfect for girls wanting more contemporary fiction but who aren't quite ready for popular YA titles.
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