Girls in Love

Ellie’s starting ninth grade and she’s got some very definite goals. She’ll stay best friends with Magda and Nadine. She’ll go on a diet and stick to it. She’ll get a glamorous hairstyle. And she’ll get a boyfriend. Even if she has to settle for one who likes her more than she likes him. Any guy will do, right?

Publishers Weekly

In Wilson's (The Story of Tracy Beaker) fast-paced first book in the Girlfriends Trilogy, ninth-grader Ellie describes why she's "feeling so fed up" and the sticky situations in which she finds herself. Ellie's first-person narration possesses a Bridget Jones-like energy and compulsiveness. Her constant obsession with her weight gets old, but her loathing of teachers, family and herself will feel familiar. Ellie's relationship with her two best friends, Nadine and Magda, and especially with nerdy Dan, whom she meets on holiday, serve as good models without being didactic. Feeling jealous after hearing about Nadine's new older boyfriend and Magda's summer flirtations, Ellie pretends that Dan is her boyfriend, though she substitutes his looks with those of a cute boy she's crushing on. As Dan expresses his romantic feelings for her through the letters they exchange, it becomes obvious that she won't be able to keep up her farce forever. Meanwhile, Nadine's boyfriend pressures Nadine for sex, and there's tension between Ellie's dad and stepmother. The short lists at the end of each chapter (like "nine most embarrassing moments") give readers insight into Ellie's past and her character. There are tender moments, such as when the heroine visits heartbroken Nadine, and the funny narrative, filled with British colloquialisms, and clever exchanges with Dan make this a breezy read. Ages 12-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information

About The Author:

Jacqueline Wilson is a bestselling author in Britain. She has written several award-winning books for children, including The Suitcase Kid, Double Act, and The Lottie Project.

Special Features:

Girls in Love

From Barnes & Noble

In this fabulous first book in a trilogy from British favorite Jacqueline Wilson, readers meet sharp-witted Ellie, who's coping with all sorts of adolescent angst. Ellie's starting ninth grade, and she's determined to find a boyfriend, lose a few pounds, and stay friends with her two best buds. But when the weight won't stay off, jealousy threatens her friendships, and the only boy who likes her is a big dork, Ellie is at her wit's end. Captivating and lively, Girls in Love offers an unflinching -- and funny -- look at the real issues a teenage girl faces.

Publishers Weekly

In Wilson's (The Story of Tracy Beaker) fast-paced first book in the Girlfriends Trilogy, ninth-grader Ellie describes why she's "feeling so fed up" and the sticky situations in which she finds herself. Ellie's first-person narration possesses a Bridget Jones-like energy and compulsiveness. Her constant obsession with her weight gets old, but her loathing of teachers, family and herself will feel familiar. Ellie's relationship with her two best friends, Nadine and Magda, and especially with nerdy Dan, whom she meets on holiday, serve as good models without being didactic. Feeling jealous after hearing about Nadine's new older boyfriend and Magda's summer flirtations, Ellie pretends that Dan is her boyfriend, though she substitutes his looks with those of a cute boy she's crushing on. As Dan expresses his romantic feelings for her through the letters they exchange, it becomes obvious that she won't be able to keep up her farce forever. Meanwhile, Nadine's boyfriend pressures Nadine for sex, and there's tension between Ellie's dad and stepmother. The short lists at the end of each chapter (like "nine most embarrassing moments") give readers insight into Ellie's past and her character. There are tender moments, such as when the heroine visits heartbroken Nadine, and the funny narrative, filled with British colloquialisms, and clever exchanges with Dan make this a breezy read. Ages 12-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

"In this fast-paced first book in the Girlfriends Trilogy, ninth-grader Ellie describes why she's `feeling so fed up' and the sticky situations in which she finds herself. Tender moments and clever exchanges make for a breezy read," said PW. Ages 12-up. (Dec.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Paula Rohrlick - KLIATT

To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, September 2002: This series is like a British version of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Alice series. Here the protagonist is hot-tempered Ellie, who in the first book is just starting ninth grade. She lives with her father, her stepmother, and her younger brother Eggs; she has two best friends, Magda and Nadine; and she dreams of becoming a graphic artist. Like Naylor, Wilson deals with the road bumps of adolescence with insight and humor. In the first book, Ellie is dying to have a boyfriend, has a crush on a handsome boy, and ends up friends-and perhaps more-with the not-so-handsome but sweet Dan. Gossipy and realistic, addressing serious issues as well as clothes and crushes, this series, though somewhat predictable, will appeal to younger girls. The British slang shouldn't pose much of a problem for American readers. (Book One in the Girls Quartet). KLIATT Codes: J-Recommended for junior high school students. 1997, Random House, 181p.,

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Ellie begins ninth grade with a detention for being late for English class. It's bad enough that one of her best friends has an older boyfriend and that the other one is supremely confident, but to start the school year off on such a sour note adds insult to injury. Feeling desperate and fat in comparison to her willowy pals, she transforms an unrequited crush that a younger, geeky guy has on her into a story of a sweeping romance with a gorgeous 15-year-old who lives far away. Ellie's story gets a little out of hand until Dan, who shows up at a party in London where she lives, of course turns out to be nicer, funnier, and more heroic than she had anticipated. Instead of viewing him as an object of derision, she finds herself appreciating his better qualities and realizing that it's what's inside a person that really matters. This British version of a formulaic teen romance has all the stock characters but will appeal to readers who enjoy the familiar and can empathize with Ellie's insecurities and the trials of ninth grade. Colloquialisms add a bit of authenticity to the novel. Wilson inserts lists of "nines" between chapters, such as "nine wishes," "nine things I hate about school," "nine unexpected odd facts," etc., which carry on the theme of ninth grade.-Susan Riley, Mount Kisco Public Library, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Hard on the heels of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (not reviewed) and that ilk, three 13-year-olds face life and boys in this first of the trilogy published in England in 1997 (Girls Under Pressure and Girls Out Late will follow). Ellie is the narrator, small, round, and determined to find a boyfriend. Her two best friends are the Goth Nadine and the glam Magda, and the girls' unaffected relationships with each other ring very true. Ellie's voice is sharp and self-involved, and readers will cringe with embarrassment with her over her chronic lateness to school, the boy she meets on holiday in Wales with his terrible hair, and other standard adolescent misadventures. Nadine gets involved with a much older boy, Ellie goes to her first couple of parties and crashes her first club, and she learns a bit more than she wanted to know about her dad and stepmom's relationship. Ellie's narrative is interspersed with funny little lists of nine things: nine wishes; nine dreams; and nine most embarrassing moments, which provide both giggles and heart-tugging moments. With its hot pink cover, no boys will be caught dead picking this up, which is too bad, for they would learn a lot if they did. (Fiction. 12-15)