Review Detail

GRIDLEY GIRLS by Meredith First follows Meg Monahan and her friends as they navigate 9th grade during the 1978-79 school year. Scenes from the past are juxtaposed with those showing grown-up Meg et al. as they all manage life as forty-somethings, and there are some similarities between the dilemmas faced by the girls as teens and those they deal with as adults.

GRIDLEY GIRLS reads more like a memoir than your typical YA novel (there are even pictures of the author and her friends in the back of the book), and the exploits of Meg and her friends in the 70s may be more of a draw to adults who grew up in that time than to the book’s intended teen audience. In fact, the appeal of the book lies in its nostalgic look at the past—that’s what kept me reading—and I’m sure there are many readers who will identify with one or more of the characters.

The cover art for the book is great, and there are some compelling aspects to the story. This is the first of a series, and it will be interesting to see what the second one brings.