The Secret Language of Girls
Written by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Reviewed by Emily Al. (age 12)
Have you and your life-long best friend ever gotten into a fight and all you could think about is, "Will we ever be friends again"? If you have, then The Secret Language of Girls is a great book for you. It will almost feel like you are reading about yourself. The Secret Language of Girls is about an ordinary girl's life. When Marylin decides that her life-long best friend, Kate Faber, is a bit babyish for her age, she begins to change and slowly starts to avoid Kate. Marylin joins the cheerleading squad and starts hanging around with the snobby new girl who is mean to Kate. When Marylin is dared to do something nasty to Kate, she starts to think twice about their friendship. Will Marylin do the dare, or will she go back to being best friends with Kate?
I really liked this book because lots of girls, including me, can relate to it. This book is unique because every chapter shares both Kate's and Marylin's opinion about the events that are going on. This book made me feel good about myself. I feel more self-confident because I now know that I am not the only girl that things like this happen to. This book made me think about what the characters thought and felt in different situations. Marilyn changes throughout the book. In the beginning, she thinks that Kate is babyish, but in the end, something special happens!
I highly recommend this book. It is a great confidence building book. It lets girls see that they aren't the only ones in life with friend issues. Preteens from the ages of 9 and teens up until age 14 will enjoy this excellent book!