How to be Bad by E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle and Sarah Mlynowski
Hot Key Books, 2015. ISBN 9781471404849
(Age: 15 years+) 'Think about it . . . the open road. We can do
whatever we want, whenever we want to do it.'
How to be Bad follows the lives of three teenage girls who
are the complete opposites, and their impulsive decision to go on a
road trip for the weekend. Jesse, the saint, Vicky, the rebel, and
Mel, the new girl, all pile into a beat up Opel to experience life
on the open road - to make up with boyfriends, to escape reality as
they know it, try and gain real friends and maybe catch up with a
stuffed gator on the way. The sassy trio embarks on a trip of a
lifetime and take many twists they had no clue were even on the map
. . .
With three teens and three writers, different perspectives are used
in the story to see in the eyes and walk in the shoes of the girls
whose lives intertwine with each other's. This is a fast-paced,
relatable story of broken hearts and friendship's up and downs,
displaying stellar arguments and the journey to fix them, strangers
that become close friends, and close friends that keep too many
secrets. Lockhart, Myracle, and Mlynowski writes of the pessimisms
and highlights of a youth's life, a story that leaves you wanting
more of the sass, tears and laughs the girls have to offer.
Clarissa Cornelius (Student)