The friendship between Pen and Olivia was a much stronger element as was her relationship with her brother Johnny. There is romance but it’s not the main focus. She doesn’t always do the right thing the first time but she tries and tries again when she gets it wrong. Pen is a flawed protagonist, who hangs with the wrong crowd and sees that it isn’t working anymore but struggles to cut the ties completely while dealing with parents that are increasingly hostile to her. This book does such a wonderful job on so many fronts. A girl that can see right through Colby’s bs and is more interested in Pen.Īs Pen’s friendships collide along with the mounting pressure from her traditional Portuguese family to act *normal* to make her – meaning their – lives easier, Pen has to decide what is right for her and what true loyalty means. This has never really bothered Pen until she befriends Olivia – one of Colby’s castaways and starts a romance with Blake, a girl that Colby had picked as his next target. To be friends with Colby you must be loyal and his version of loyalty means acting as his wingman to pick up a never ending stream of girls. Mostly because he accepts her as she is, lets her be one of the guys but under his protection, keeps her off the radar of people who would bully her for not conforming to what they believe a girl should be.īut being Colby’s friend comes with a price. Pen, a 16 year old girl who likes to wear guys clothes, play video games, and likes girls, has been friends with Colby since they were 9. Girl Mans Up is an important (gah I HATE using that term but it’s true & I’ll expand on why in a minute), honest and thought provoking exploration of gender identity, loyalty, friendship and family. What an exciting time for contemporary YA! Every book I’ve read this summer has hit it out of the park and you can add Girl Mans Up to that list.

Source: ARC provided by the publisher via ALA16

Old-world parents, disintegrating friendships, and strong feelings for other girls drive Pen to see the truth-that in order to be who she truly wants to be, she’ll have to man up. But respect and loyalty, Pen discovers, are empty words. If she takes orders and does what her friend Colby wants, it will show her loyalty. If she dresses like a girl, and does what her folks want, it will show respect. So why does everyone have a problem with it? They think the way she looks and acts means she’s trying to be a boy-that she should quit trying to be something she’s not. All Pen wants is to be the kind of girl she’s always been.

Deliver Us from Evie by M.E. Kerr