Standiford,
Natalie. The Only Girl in School. Scholastic Press 2016
214p $16.99 ISBN 978-0-545-82996-0 ms
Realistic fiction VG
Claire is miserable.
She is now the only girl in her entire school on Foyes Island in the
Chesapeake Bay, and she is suffering mightily.
Not only has her best friend moved to California, her other best friend
Henry has succumbed to the threats of the class bully and won’t talk to her or
hang out with her. She is ignored or
belittled by her classmates and must fight for her place on the soccer team and
in sailing races. The engaging story is
told through a series of letters between Claire and her best friend Bess,
complete with drawings of her schoolmates.
As the school year progresses, Claire’s challenges continue to
mount. She is, however, a very
determined girl and won’t let anything stand in her way. The plot is spiced with dramatic if slightly
unrealistic anecdotes about Claire’s ongoing battle with the boys and her discovery
of ghostly treasure. It provides an
absorbing adventure.
Summary: Claire is now the only girl in her entire school
on Foyes Island in the Chesapeake Bay, and she is suffering mightily. Not only has her best friend moved to
California, her other best friend Henry has succumbed to the threats of the
class bully and won’t talk to her or hang out with her.
School-Fiction, Bullying-Fiction --Susan Ogintz
