Unbelievable--I've managed to grow shallots. If I'd realized they had bulbed up I'd have harvested them before they started blooming. Having tasted one yet--the hot weather may have ruined their flavor--but I will soon.
Moxie
by Jennifer Mathieu
Tops! Great YA that even a parent can enjoy. Possibly young people don't want their parents enjoying their books, but what can I say?
There were several side plots--or themes--along with the central one of "how can girls fight back against rampant sexism in a small-town high school?" In the beginning, I thought it was unrealistic--how could boys get away with wearing obscene tee shirts? At my kid's high school they'd have been sent home in a blink. And groping? They'd probably get outside suspension. But this book depicts a culture of "backing the football boys" and a lack of balance in the teaching staff that could let that sort thing happen. It's a cautionary tale.
The sideplots are good: the heroine learns to make new friends even if that might mean losing her BFF; she gets to meet a boy; and she gets to deal with her mother starting to date again.
I especially liked the copy center guy (minor character). It would be cool if Ms. Mathieu would write another story with him either as protagonist or simply as a link between the two stories.
I just read some of the other reviews (that's okay since I've already written mine) and I was disgusted to see people thought the need to add a "Content Warning". What idiot thinks a YA novel should need a content warning just because it deals with serious issues? We're not talking zombie attacks, serial killers, or unabombers here--we're talking about exactly the sort of serious issues normal teenagers face every day. And the book isn't the slightest bit graphic--the really bad stuff happens off stage. People who say this book needs a content warning ought to consider asking their school board to post one at the front door of the high school.
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