Rules for Being a Girl

by Candace Bushnell, Katie Cotugno

Overview

Candace Bushnell, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Sex and the City, and Katie Cotugno, New York Times bestselling author of 99 Days, team up to write a fierce, propulsive novel about a girl who is preyed upon by a manipulative teacher and finds the power to fight back. Perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Laurie Halse Anderson.

It starts before you can even remember: You learn the rules for being a girl. . . .

Marin has always been good at navigating these unspoken guidelines. A star student and editor of the school paper, she dreams of getting into Brown University. Marin’s future seems bright—and her young, charismatic English teacher, Mr. Beckett, is always quick to admire her writing and talk books with her.

But when “Bex” takes things too far and comes on to Marin, she’s shocked and horrified. Had she somehow led him on? Was it her fault?

When Marin works up the courage to tell the administration what happened, no one believes her. She’s forced to face Bex in class every day. Except now, he has an ax to grind.

But Marin isn’t about to back down. She uses the school newspaper to fight back and she starts a feminist book club at school. She finds allies—and even romance—in the most unexpected people, like Gray Kendall, who she’d always dismissed as just another lacrosse bro.

As things heat up at school and in her personal life, Marin must figure out how to take back the power and write her own rules.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062803382
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	01/05/2021
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	41,178
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.68(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Candace Bushnell is the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of The Carrie Diaries, Sex and the City, Is There Still Sex in the City?, Lipstick Jungle, One Fifth Avenue, 4 Blondes, Trading Up, and Summer and the City, which have sold millions of copies. Sex and the City was the basis for the HBO hit shows and films, and its prequel, The Carrie Diaries, was the basis for the CW television show of the same name. Lipstick Jungle became a popular television show on NBC. Is There Still Sex in the City? is in development with Paramount Television. Candace lives in New York City and Sag Harbor. Visit her at www.candacebushnell.com.

Katie Cotugno is the New York Times bestselling author of Top Ten, 99 Days, 9 Days and 9 Nights, Fireworks, and How to Love. She studied writing, literature, and publishing at Emerson College and received her MFA in fiction at Lesley University. Katie is a Pushcart Prize nominee whose work has appeared in Iowa Review, Mississippi Review, and Argestes, among others. She lives in Boston. Visit her at www.katiecotugno.com.

Editorial Reviews

…engaging and lively…Bushnell and Cotugno's writing is sincere and heartfelt, its humor clever, and Marin and her friends are easy to like and root for. Rules for Being a Girl has a keen eye for the "innocuous" kind of misogyny that is so normalized and ingrained in our daily lives we no longer immediately recognize it as a pathway to greater harm…Though it may not be the most explosive novel you'll read about an older man and a teenage girl…it is no less valuable, and no less devastating.

The New York Times Book Review - Courtney Summers

02/10/2020

Authors Bushnell (Sex in the City for adults) and Cotugno (99 Days) team up in this novel about a young woman facing assault and sexist power dynamics in a post-#MeToo era. Best friends Chloe and Marin share a crush on their high school English teacher, Mr. Beckett, who’s also their advisor on the school paper, where the girls are coeditors. When Bex, as he’s known, moves from being friendly with Marin to kissing her, she isn’t sure where to turn; Chloe questions Marin’s account entirely, advising her not to ruin Bex’s life by telling. When Marin writes an editorial about double standards, Bex warns her of “blowback,” which she promptly receives, called “some crazy feminist” by her boyfriend. As Marin becomes more aware of problematic issues at her largely white school, including a sexist dress code and an all-white, all-male reading list, Bex threateningly gives her the first D grade of her life, and she decides that it’s time to report him, prompting gossip and ridicule—and disbelief from the school board. The authors write a convincing teen exploring the complex, frequently sexist social norms that girls and women navigate daily. Ages 13–up. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

A blistering look at a girl who, when her eyes are opened by an injustice, reacts by taking action…. Readers will be glad for this take from two powerhouse creators.

ALA Booklist

An engrossing and engaging read, filled with dynamic characters. While Marin’s is a fight that should never be necessary, her experience is one that many women and girls will unfortunately relate to. A powerful story of a girl determined to make others look her in the eyes and listen. 

Associated Press

Praise for SUMMER AND THE CITY: “If ever a book resounded with positive messages for young people, it’s this one.

USA Today

02/01/2020

Gr 9 Up–Overachieving, Ivy League–bound Marin grudgingly accepts the sexism around her, from an English curriculum dominated by male writers to a principal who publicly humiliates female students for dress code violations. Then her teacher Mr. Beckett tries to kiss her. Shaken and ashamed, she worries that she unwittingly sent him romantic signals. But soon she gets enraged at the idea that women are supposed to behave according to some unspoken code of conduct. In an incendiary editorial ("The Rules for Being a Girl") for the school paper, she censures the traditional rules and excuses: "Don't let things go too far. Don't give him the wrong idea. Don't blame him for trying." The response is disappointing; her best friend Chloe finds the piece shrill, and her boyfriend Jacob dubs Marin a "crazy feminist." But Marin comes to embrace that label, starting a feminist book club and finding the strength to speak out against Mr. Beckett. While the characters are thinly developed stock types and the ending wraps up too neatly, Marin's transformation into a clear-eyed young activist will inspire teens. Rife with references to pop culture, this fast-paced narrative introduces the complexities of intersectionality, identifies the insidious impact of rape culture, and encourages readers to take a stand against everyday injustices. VERDICT Young people starting to explore social justice will find this engaging work a stepping stone on the way to heavier fare such as Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist or Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

2019-12-16
A teen has a feminist awakening after being assaulted by her teacher.

Marin is a pretty ordinary high school student—she is navigating senior year and relationships, studying hard to get into her dream school, and aspiring to become a journalist. She and her best friend, Chloe, are co-editors of Bridgewater Prep's school paper, and they spend their free time in the newspaper office with their adviser and favorite teacher, Mr. Beckett. Bex, as all his students call him, is not like other teachers—he is young and gregarious and doesn't keep his private life a secret. Both Marin and Chloe think Bex is cute and are a little obsessed with his sex life. After Bex offers Marin a ride home from school and then kisses her without consent, Marin wonders what she did to give him the wrong signals. When neither Chloe nor the school's board believes her, Marin starts fighting back against the unwritten rules for girls. The book shines a light on the pressures of being a girl and the double standards that readers will immediately recognize and appreciate or learn from. The writing is complicated in the way that female friendships can be. Although the authors include a passage about intersectionality, with all major characters seeming to be white, it feels like an afterthought.

A light read about a heavy topic. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

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