Sticks and Stones »

Ralph looked away from me to another guy. "What do you think, Scott—a seven?" Scott looked me up and down. "Seven? Maybe." "Maybe on a good day," said another guy. "A really good day? Like last Friday?" Ralph replied. They were all laughing again. "You guys are pigs," I said. Jujube is thrilled when Brent asks her out. She is not so happy when the rumors start flying at school. Pretty soon her name is showing up on bathroom walls and everyone is snickering and sniping. When her mother gets involved, Jujube's reputation takes another hit. Deciding that someone has to take a stand, Jujube gathers all the other girls who are labelled sluts—and worse—and tries to impress on her fellow students the damage that can be done by assigning a label that reduces a person to an object. Beth Goobie is an award-winning author of a number of books for teens. Her book Before Wings, won the CLA YA Book Award, was a Governor General's Award nominee, an ALA Best Book nominee and a Teen Top Ten.

Sheree Van Vreede - Children's Literature

Going on a date with the boy you have had a crush on seems like the ultimate night, right? Well, what happens when the next day that boy spreads lies about what the two of you did on that date? Now you find yourself in the middle of gossip, the butt end of jokes, and no longer looked at in the same way you were before. High school can be a tough learning ground, just ask Trudy, or Jujube, as her friends call her. Going on a date with Brent seemed like the best news she could ever have, but she soon found out that people don't call him "Mr. Warp Speed" for nothing. After rejecting his advances and thinking everything was fine between them, Jujube soon discovers that dating can be a much more complex activity than she could ever have thought possible. Soon, the entire school thinks that she is "easy." This book provides a realistic picture of what can happen and often does happen in high schools across the United States. It is a compelling story of how one girl fights to overcome the stigma one boy's word creates and to rebuild her self-esteem. 2002, Orca Book Publishers,