Take Three Girls is the collaborative effort of YA writers Cath Crowley, Fiona Wood and Simone Howell. It follows the lives of three boarding school girls as they find themselves under attack from a cyber bullying presence and form an unlikely friendship.
`The novel covers all the intricacies of female friendships in a way that is too often overlooked in young adult books. It brings attention to fake friends and the dangers of competing with other girls so much that you lose sight of yourself, but it also celebrates the beauty of having friends who accept every part of you and support you when things look bleak.
The three protagonists have strong, well-defined voices that really helps to break the perception that all teenaged girls are a hivemind. Each girl has their own struggles that are handled tactfullyand gracefully intertwine with each other to form a complete narrative rather than three separate stories.
The love and friendship that the three girls show each other is a breath of fresh air compared to the typical female friendships in fiction, which usually revolve around men. Though Clem, Ady and Kate all have different interests, they embrace their differences and show each other unconditional love as they struggle through year 10.
Take Three Girls encourages us to look past the stereotypes we inadvertently place on people and find the good within them. It warns us of jealousy and the risks that come with first love. The girls face pressure from all sources, including their so-called friends, their family, their teachers and their partners, but by staying true to themselves they are able to help each other survive their hardships.
The message of the novel is overwhelmingly positive. It’s an honest and vulnerable portrayal of high school, friendship and family life, and it doesn’t shy away from sensitive topics like body issues, sexuality and substance abuse. It’s a reminder that in this digital age the ability to hurt people is more powerful than ever, but the ability to ease that pain and turn a bad experience into something positive is much more important.
Skulduggery Pleasant follows herione Stephanie Edgley, whose uncle–a famed horror author–dies mysteriously, leaving Stephanie with his fortune and mansion, but as Stephanie spends the night in her late uncle’s house, she is thrust into a magical underworld full of murderous hunters, vampires, ghosts and monsters that appear to mirror those written about in her uncle’s …
Melina Marchetta’s coming-of-age novel is a refreshingly mature young adult adventure that captures the feeling on the crux of growing up and watching all that was familiar with the world shift into something new. On the Jellicoe Road transports the reader to a world caught between the dreams of childhood and the horrors of reality, …
Courtney Summers’ well-written murder mystery is a modern take on the genre. Following the sister of a missing girl and the journalist trying to find her, Sadie’s format is unique, if a little confusing at times. The chapters written from Sadie’s perspective are in first person, but every second chapter is written as a script …
The Wishing Spell follows twin siblings Alex and Conner Bailey, who grew up with fairy tales read to them by their grandmother. But when Alex and Conner are magically transported inside their grandmother’s fairy tale treasury, they will be thrust into a world where all their fairy tale characters are extremely real. The two will …
GHOST BIRD follows the tale of Aboriginal twins Laney and Stacey, who grew up in their lower-middle-class rural Australian town. Their idyllic life, however, is thrown for a curveball when Laney mysteriously goes missing after going out with her friends. Through a bizarre series of premonitions that fringe on the supernatural, Stacey becomes obsessed with …
The Conference of the Birds offers readers with a fifth dive into Ransom Rigg’s world of the much-adored literary peculiars. In this novel, which carries on directly from ‘A Map of Days’–released as the fourth book in 2019–Jacob and his peculiar friends return to uncover the mystery surrounding their newest companion Noor, most namely piecing …
Take Three Girls – by Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell & Fiona Wood
Take Three Girls is the collaborative effort of YA writers Cath Crowley, Fiona Wood and Simone Howell. It follows the lives of three boarding school girls as they find themselves under attack from a cyber bullying presence and form an unlikely friendship.
`The novel covers all the intricacies of female friendships in a way that is too often overlooked in young adult books. It brings attention to fake friends and the dangers of competing with other girls so much that you lose sight of yourself, but it also celebrates the beauty of having friends who accept every part of you and support you when things look bleak.
The three protagonists have strong, well-defined voices that really helps to break the perception that all teenaged girls are a hivemind. Each girl has their own struggles that are handled tactfullyand gracefully intertwine with each other to form a complete narrative rather than three separate stories.
The love and friendship that the three girls show each other is a breath of fresh air compared to the typical female friendships in fiction, which usually revolve around men. Though Clem, Ady and Kate all have different interests, they embrace their differences and show each other unconditional love as they struggle through year 10.
Take Three Girls encourages us to look past the stereotypes we inadvertently place on people and find the good within them. It warns us of jealousy and the risks that come with first love. The girls face pressure from all sources, including their so-called friends, their family, their teachers and their partners, but by staying true to themselves they are able to help each other survive their hardships.
The message of the novel is overwhelmingly positive. It’s an honest and vulnerable portrayal of high school, friendship and family life, and it doesn’t shy away from sensitive topics like body issues, sexuality and substance abuse. It’s a reminder that in this digital age the ability to hurt people is more powerful than ever, but the ability to ease that pain and turn a bad experience into something positive is much more important.
Related Posts
Book Review – Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Skulduggery Pleasant follows herione Stephanie Edgley, whose uncle–a famed horror author–dies mysteriously, leaving Stephanie with his fortune and mansion, but as Stephanie spends the night in her late uncle’s house, she is thrust into a magical underworld full of murderous hunters, vampires, ghosts and monsters that appear to mirror those written about in her uncle’s …
Book Review – On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Melina Marchetta’s coming-of-age novel is a refreshingly mature young adult adventure that captures the feeling on the crux of growing up and watching all that was familiar with the world shift into something new. On the Jellicoe Road transports the reader to a world caught between the dreams of childhood and the horrors of reality, …
Book Review – Sadie by Courtney Summers
Courtney Summers’ well-written murder mystery is a modern take on the genre. Following the sister of a missing girl and the journalist trying to find her, Sadie’s format is unique, if a little confusing at times. The chapters written from Sadie’s perspective are in first person, but every second chapter is written as a script …
Book Review – The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer
The Wishing Spell follows twin siblings Alex and Conner Bailey, who grew up with fairy tales read to them by their grandmother. But when Alex and Conner are magically transported inside their grandmother’s fairy tale treasury, they will be thrust into a world where all their fairy tale characters are extremely real. The two will …
Book Review – Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller
GHOST BIRD follows the tale of Aboriginal twins Laney and Stacey, who grew up in their lower-middle-class rural Australian town. Their idyllic life, however, is thrown for a curveball when Laney mysteriously goes missing after going out with her friends. Through a bizarre series of premonitions that fringe on the supernatural, Stacey becomes obsessed with …
Book Review – The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs
The Conference of the Birds offers readers with a fifth dive into Ransom Rigg’s world of the much-adored literary peculiars. In this novel, which carries on directly from ‘A Map of Days’–released as the fourth book in 2019–Jacob and his peculiar friends return to uncover the mystery surrounding their newest companion Noor, most namely piecing …