Bad Girls

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"Mum said to just ignore them and they'll get tired of teasing. They haven't got tired yet."

Mandy is lonely. She's been bullied at school for as long as she can remember.

But then she meets Tanya. Fun, daring and glamorous Tanya wants Mandy as HER friend! She can't believe her luck.

There's only one issue though. Mandy's mum isn't happy. She thinks that Tanya is a BAD GIRL, and a bad influence on her daughter. But even if Tanya gets her into a TEENY bit of trouble, she can always get Mandy out of it - right?

From bestselling author Jacqueline Wilson, Bad Girls is a heartwarming story about confidence, friendship and becoming your own person. The perfect read to start difficult conversations with younger readers about bullying and how we treat others.

A rare gift for writing lightly and amusingly about emotional issues. - The Bookseller

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

They were going to get me. I saw them the moment I turned the comer. They were halfway down the street, waiting near the bus stop. Melanie, Sarah and Kim. Kim, the worst one of all. I didn't know what to do. I took a step forward, my sandal sticking to the sidewalk. They were nudging each other. They'd spotted me. I couldn't see that far, even with my glasses, but I knew Kim would have that great big smile on her face. I stood still. I looked over my shoulder. Perhaps I could run back to school? I'd hung around for ages already. Maybe they'd locked the playground gates? But perhaps one of the teachers would still be there? I could pretend I had a stomachache or something and then maybe I'd get a ride in their car? "Look at Mandy! She's going to go running back to school. Baby!" Kim yelled. She seemed to have her own magic glasses that let her see right inside my head. She didn't wear ordinary glasses, of course. Girls like Kim never wear glasses or braces on their teeth. They never get fat. They never have a silly haircut. They never wear stupid baby clothes. If I ran back they'd only run after me. So I went on walking, even though my legs were wobbly. I was getting near enough to see them clearly. Kim was smiling, all right. They all were. I tried to think what to do. Daddy told me to try teasing her back. But you can't tease girls like Kim. There's nothing to tease her about. Mom said just ignore them and then they'll get tired of teasing. They hadn't got tired yet. I was getting nearer and nearer. My sandals were still sticking. I was sticking too. My dress stuck to my back. My forehead was wet under my bangs. But I tried very hard to look cool. I tried to stare straight past them. Arthur King was waiting at the bus stop. I stared at him instead. He was reading a book. He is always reading books. I like reading too. It was a shame Arthur King was a boy And a bit weird. Otherwise we might have been friends. I didn't have any real friends now. I used to have Melanie, but then she got friendly with Sarah. Then Kim decided she'd have them in her gang. Melanie always said she hated Kim. But now was her best friend. If Kim wants you as a friend then that's it. You don't argue with her. She can be so scary. She was right in front of me now. I couldn't stare past her anymore. I had to look at her. Her bright black eyes and her glossy hair and her big mouth smiling, showing all her white teeth. I could even see her when I shut my eyes. It was as if she'd stepped through my glasses, straight into my head. Smiling and smiling. "She's got her eyes shut. Hey, let's bump into her," said Kim. I opened my eyes up quick. "She's crazy," said Sarah. "She's playing one of her pretend games," said Melanie. They all cracked up laughing. I couldn't stand it that Melanie had told them all our private games. My eyes started stinging. I blinked hard. I knew I mustn't cry no matter what. Ignore them, ignore them, ignore them ... "She's trying to ignore us!" said Kim triumphantly. "Did Momsie-Womsie tell you to ignore us mean nasty girlies, then?" There was no point trying to ignore her anymore. I couldn't, anyway. She'd stepped straight in front of me. She had Melanie on one side, Sarah on the other. I was surrounded. I swallowed. Kim went on smiling. "Where is Mommy, anyway?" she said. "Not like Mommy to let little Mandy sneak home all by herself. We were looking out for her, weren't we, Mel, weren't we, Sarah?" They always nudged each other and whispered and giggled when my mom went past. They nudged and whispered and giggled even more when Mom and I were together. One terrible time Momtook hold of my hand and they all saw before I could snatch it away. They went on about itfor weeks. Kim made up tales of baby harnesses and strollers and baby bottles. And a pacifier for the pitiful. They were nudging and whispering and giggling now. I didn't answer Kim. I tried to dodge around her but she dodged too, so she was standing in front of me. Right up close. Bigger than me. "Hey, I'm talking to you! You deaf or something? Had I better shout?" said Kim. She bent so close her silky black hair brushed my cheek. "Where's Mommy?" she bellowed into my ear. From the Hardcover edition. Excerpted from Bad Girls by Jacqueline Wilson All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Wilson (The Suitcase Kid) opens this tightly written tale with a bang: 10-year-old Mandy, after being humiliated by three bullying classmates, dashes into the street and gets hit by a bus (she sprains her arm, but is otherwise fine). Mandy's first-person narrative then settles into a credible, engaging account of how she copes with the ongoing taunting from these three "bad girls" and with the coddling of her overprotective mother. The author compellingly demonstrates the dramatic differences in the physical and emotional development among fifth graders. Things begin to look up when Mandy meets 14-year-old Tanya, a foster child who moves into a neighbor's home. With her spiky orange hair, high heels and cropped tops, Tanya couldn't look more unlike the bespectacled Mandy, whose mother dresses her in "stupid baby clothes" and insists she wear her hair in braids. Despite the differences in their ages and backgroundsÄand much to the chagrin of Mandy's motherÄthe two develop a friendship that enables the heroine to assert her individuality. Even after Tanya must move to a "children's home" (after she, with Mandy in tow, gets arrested for shoplifting), Mandy develops a strength and maturity that enable her to relate better to her mother and to brush off the barbs of the bullies. Shaping convincing characters, dialogue and plot, Wilson proves that bad girls can make for a good story. Ages 9-12. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-Although sharing the same title as Cynthia Voigt's Bad Girls (Scholastic, 1996), the similarity ends there. When her friend Melanie teams up with Kim and Sarah, 10-year-old Mandy White becomes the target of their taunts and gets hit by a bus while trying to run away from them. Despite the efforts of Mandy's mother, teacher, and principal, the girls continue to bully, only changing their tactics. Mandy copes better when she becomes friendly with 14-year-old Tanya, who lives in a foster-care home. Although Mandy disapproves of Tanya's shoplifting, the two end up at the police station when Tanya is caught. The author's depictions of the characters and situations ring true. The British expressions give the story a sense of place and do not interfere with its readability. It's unfortunate that the lighthearted cartoon illustrations belie the serious issues raised in the story.-Marilyn Ackerman, Brooklyn Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 3^-6. Popular British author Wilson, whose works are punctuated by Nick Sharratt's lively drawings, returns with an easily identifiable story. Ten-year-old Mandy is being tormented by classmate Kim and her pals. The only child of older parents, Mandy has her hair braided and wears dresses decorated with bunnies, and she cries easily. But when the girls chase Mandy into the street, and she is almost hit by a bus, the truth about the teasing comes out. Wilson does her usual terrific job of mixing truth and humor. Kim et al. are vicious in exactly the way girls of that age often are. A punky teen becomes Mandy's salvation and a source of distress when the older girl's shoplifting catches up with both of them. There are a few problems: Mandy's overweight mother borders on the stereotypical; and the ending, in which Mandy's classmates learn through a classroom chat how bad bullying can be, seems like wishful thinking. But this is enjoyable fare, with excerpts from several of Wilson's previous books to tempt readers primed by this one. --Ilene Cooper

Horn Book Review

Small for her size and overly protected by her frumpy mother, ten-year-old Mandy is the victim of frequent bullying by three girls in her class. When she befriends a brash and sophisticated girl who moves into a foster home across the street, Tanya's friendship gives Mandy the courage to face the torment at school and gain some independence from her mother. Black-and-white sketches help enliven a rather bland story. From HORN BOOK Fall 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

The protagonists in this English import by the author of The Lottie Project (1999)—and other books about funny, feisty girls—aren’t the bad girls of the title. That “honor” is reserved for three featured players who are among the rottenest female bullies readers will likely ever have come across in fact or fiction. The two heroines, however, are terrific—by turns funny, heart-warming, and fully deserving of readers’ compassion, for each suffers a lot in her own way. Ten-year-old Mandy White, bespectacled and small for her age, is picked on relentlessly and mercilessly by said trio of tormentors whom readers will want to slap silly. To make matters worse, Mandy’s adoring mother, a first-time parent in late middle age, babies her daughter almost beyond reason. Then into Mandy’s life comes bohemian new neighbor Tanya, an orange-spike-haired free spirit. Tanya is a foster child four years Mandy’s senior who dresses in sequined tops, short shorts, and high-heeled sandals. She also dabbles in occasional shoplifting. She accepts Mandy unconditionally and quickly, and the girls become best friends. While this may not be entirely believable, it’s made plain that Tanya gets along very well with younger children and apparently prefers their company. The novel also hints at very unhappy events in Tanya’s life that help to explain her desperate need for friendship, affection, and a real family life. Sadly, the girls are ultimately parted when Tanya is sent away after a particularly hairy shoplifting escapade. But by that time, the friendship has allowed Mandy to find the strength to learn how to assert herself with her mother, to finally stand up to the bullies, and to accept another true friend in a male classmate. Youngsters will have a jolly good time with these bad, no, great girls in a read that’s fun though sometimes implausible. (Fiction. 9-12) Author tour