“... Johnson's fun, activist-minded debut has ... a strong yet vulnerable heroine
whose intellectual bent and sense of self will remind readers that,
as historian Laurel Thatcher Urlich said, 'Well-behaved women rarely make history.'”
―Booklist
whose intellectual bent and sense of self will remind readers that,
as historian Laurel Thatcher Urlich said, 'Well-behaved women rarely make history.'”
―Booklist
This Girl is Different
by J.J. Johnson
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers, 2011
Hardcover: $16.95 Paperback: $9.95 E-book: $9.49 Audio Book: $19.95
ISBN: 978-15-6145-578-2
Total Pages: 320
by J.J. Johnson
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers, 2011
Hardcover: $16.95 Paperback: $9.95 E-book: $9.49 Audio Book: $19.95
ISBN: 978-15-6145-578-2
Total Pages: 320
Evie is different. Not just her upbringing—though that’s certainly been unusual—but also her mindset. She’s smart, independent, opinionated, and ready to take on a new challenge: The Institution of School.
Yes, Evie has decided to forego her counterculture lifestyle long enough to spend her senior year in high school. As a sort of ethnographic research. Plus maybe just a tiny urge to have those universal experiences she’s seen in movies—boyfriends, best friends, detention, people getting stuffed in lockers, prom queens, and house parties.
It doesn’t take this homeschooled girl long to discover that high school is a whole new world, and not in the ways she expected. It’s a social minefield, and Evie finds herself confronting new problems at every turn: what, exactly, are the rules? Can’t you ignore social status and just… be who you are? And what’s with all the hypocrisy?
Ever the idealist, Evie sets out to make changes. Big changes. But it turns out that The Man doesn’t always want you to fix The System. And that’s when she has to figure out answers to some of life’s great questions: Is love the One Unifying Truth? Is authority always dangerous? What’s wrong with labels? And what do you do when the revolution you started turns around to bite you in the butt?
Yes, Evie has decided to forego her counterculture lifestyle long enough to spend her senior year in high school. As a sort of ethnographic research. Plus maybe just a tiny urge to have those universal experiences she’s seen in movies—boyfriends, best friends, detention, people getting stuffed in lockers, prom queens, and house parties.
It doesn’t take this homeschooled girl long to discover that high school is a whole new world, and not in the ways she expected. It’s a social minefield, and Evie finds herself confronting new problems at every turn: what, exactly, are the rules? Can’t you ignore social status and just… be who you are? And what’s with all the hypocrisy?
Ever the idealist, Evie sets out to make changes. Big changes. But it turns out that The Man doesn’t always want you to fix The System. And that’s when she has to figure out answers to some of life’s great questions: Is love the One Unifying Truth? Is authority always dangerous? What’s wrong with labels? And what do you do when the revolution you started turns around to bite you in the butt?
Awards and Honors:
- 2011 Parent's Choice Foundation Silver Award
- 2012 American Library Association Amelia Bloomer Recommended List
- 2012 Bankstreet Best Children's Books of the Year
- 2012 Georgia Peach Book Award Nominee
- 2012 Keystone to Reading Book Award List
- 2015 Prix Farniente Reader's Choice Award Winner
What Critics are Saying:
"Outspoken Evie, with a voice so endearing and provocative that it will make readers pause often to think, quickly discovers in this witty debut that high school is full of biased rules, abuses of power and a lack of civil liberties.... Readers will never look at high school - or life - the same.” ― Kirkus
“Eccentric, natural, different... Hands down, JJ Johnson is one of my new favorite authors.” ―Book Heroine blog
“Having inherited rabble-rousing genes from her ultra-liberal mother, homeschooled Evensong Sparkling Morningdew, who would rather be called Evie “for obvious reasons,” isn’t about to be a passive student when she tries out public school during her senior year. She is shocked by the institution’s conditions— “disgusting” bathrooms, no sunlight, and Styrofoam dishes in the cafeteria—and appalled by the faculty’s abuse of power. When her objections are ignored, she and two friends create a blog to encourage other students to speak up about injustices. The blog creates a stir, and as Evie’s peers jump on the bandwagon to point fingers of blame... Offering a thorough examination of the pitfalls of protest and revolution in terms teens will understand, this smart first novel will likely spark discussions about authority abuse and crossing boundaries. Rather than judging Evie’s methods of precipitating change, Johnson reveals a broad spectrum of perspectives through her characters’ differing sentiments, motivations, and opinions. Authority figures, who Evie initially despises, make astute points throughout the novel.” ― Publisher’s Weekly
“...Both confident and temperate, [JJ Johnson's] writing never moves too far into any one extreme and manages simplicity without tediousness... refreshing...” ―Florida Times-Union
“...Books about high school tend either to be about peer politics and romance or about the injustice of oppressive adult systems. This book combines both plot types, intelligently and humorously...” ―Parents' Choice
“...This Girl is Different is the switch young adults, and adults as well, need to turn on a representation of the power of objectivity; what they never knew was missing until it came. Be ready to have your heart changed.” ―The Inside View
“...Johnson's fun, activist-minded debut has ... a strong yet vulnerable heroine whose intellectual bent and sense of self will remind readers that, as historian Laurel Thatcher Urlich said, 'Well-behaved women rarely make history.'” ―Booklist
“I started this book two hours ago, and I'm already done. I'm a bit sad that it's over, but it pulled me in, and I actually got a bit teary at one point...something about this story was extra fun...a great YA book...” ―Aelia Reads blog
“...At once you'll want to be Evie's champion, and readers may even absorb some literary tidbits worth hanging on to along the way. JJ Johnson is an author whose writing is both fresh and worth taking notice of...” ―Baker & Taylor, the CATS meow newsletter
“...The cover art is beautiful, well-thought-out and it relates to the story inside in many ways...an amazingly refreshing and unique read...I was immersed in the story from the very opening words and wasn't able to put this book down...” ―Evie Bookish blog
“...Johnson's Evie and the world she lives in are much more unique and nuanced. Johnson spreads a message throughout the book about the value of activism and standing by your principles, but it rarely comes across as preachy...” ―Teen Writers' Bloc blog
“...The number one reason I just loved this novel is because it's a young adult novel that doesn't play down to teenagers...This book proves that you can be funny, and have a love interest, and still be smart...There's a superb mix of seriousness, smartness, and a touch of funny in all of the right places. I could actually see this being easily incorporated into a high school English curriculum...This was the kind of book I just wanted to keep reading...” ―Overflowing Heart Reviews blog
“...This is a great resource for home-schooled and non-home-schooled kids alike, raising awareness about the issues of acceptance, alternatives and opportunities.” ―JUNO magazine
“This compelling story is worth a read, thanks to its strong and unique main character... Parents who want their tween and teen girls to read a novel with substance should pick up this book. It has a wide appeal to teen readers...the decisions the characters make and the issues they focus their attention on set it above standard teen pulp fiction...” ―Toy Directory Monthly online
“...an inspirational read on what it means to be an individual, on the courage to side with justice, and on the consequences of our actions. I recommend this to tween readers looking for a fun contemporary read.” ―Imaginary Reads blog
“This Girl is Different really is a powerful novel. It questions society and the world today...” ―Cup of Tea Reviews blog
“Eccentric, natural, different... Hands down, JJ Johnson is one of my new favorite authors.” ―Book Heroine blog
“Having inherited rabble-rousing genes from her ultra-liberal mother, homeschooled Evensong Sparkling Morningdew, who would rather be called Evie “for obvious reasons,” isn’t about to be a passive student when she tries out public school during her senior year. She is shocked by the institution’s conditions— “disgusting” bathrooms, no sunlight, and Styrofoam dishes in the cafeteria—and appalled by the faculty’s abuse of power. When her objections are ignored, she and two friends create a blog to encourage other students to speak up about injustices. The blog creates a stir, and as Evie’s peers jump on the bandwagon to point fingers of blame... Offering a thorough examination of the pitfalls of protest and revolution in terms teens will understand, this smart first novel will likely spark discussions about authority abuse and crossing boundaries. Rather than judging Evie’s methods of precipitating change, Johnson reveals a broad spectrum of perspectives through her characters’ differing sentiments, motivations, and opinions. Authority figures, who Evie initially despises, make astute points throughout the novel.” ― Publisher’s Weekly
“...Both confident and temperate, [JJ Johnson's] writing never moves too far into any one extreme and manages simplicity without tediousness... refreshing...” ―Florida Times-Union
“...Books about high school tend either to be about peer politics and romance or about the injustice of oppressive adult systems. This book combines both plot types, intelligently and humorously...” ―Parents' Choice
“...This Girl is Different is the switch young adults, and adults as well, need to turn on a representation of the power of objectivity; what they never knew was missing until it came. Be ready to have your heart changed.” ―The Inside View
“...Johnson's fun, activist-minded debut has ... a strong yet vulnerable heroine whose intellectual bent and sense of self will remind readers that, as historian Laurel Thatcher Urlich said, 'Well-behaved women rarely make history.'” ―Booklist
“I started this book two hours ago, and I'm already done. I'm a bit sad that it's over, but it pulled me in, and I actually got a bit teary at one point...something about this story was extra fun...a great YA book...” ―Aelia Reads blog
“...At once you'll want to be Evie's champion, and readers may even absorb some literary tidbits worth hanging on to along the way. JJ Johnson is an author whose writing is both fresh and worth taking notice of...” ―Baker & Taylor, the CATS meow newsletter
“...The cover art is beautiful, well-thought-out and it relates to the story inside in many ways...an amazingly refreshing and unique read...I was immersed in the story from the very opening words and wasn't able to put this book down...” ―Evie Bookish blog
“...Johnson's Evie and the world she lives in are much more unique and nuanced. Johnson spreads a message throughout the book about the value of activism and standing by your principles, but it rarely comes across as preachy...” ―Teen Writers' Bloc blog
“...The number one reason I just loved this novel is because it's a young adult novel that doesn't play down to teenagers...This book proves that you can be funny, and have a love interest, and still be smart...There's a superb mix of seriousness, smartness, and a touch of funny in all of the right places. I could actually see this being easily incorporated into a high school English curriculum...This was the kind of book I just wanted to keep reading...” ―Overflowing Heart Reviews blog
“...This is a great resource for home-schooled and non-home-schooled kids alike, raising awareness about the issues of acceptance, alternatives and opportunities.” ―JUNO magazine
“This compelling story is worth a read, thanks to its strong and unique main character... Parents who want their tween and teen girls to read a novel with substance should pick up this book. It has a wide appeal to teen readers...the decisions the characters make and the issues they focus their attention on set it above standard teen pulp fiction...” ―Toy Directory Monthly online
“...an inspirational read on what it means to be an individual, on the courage to side with justice, and on the consequences of our actions. I recommend this to tween readers looking for a fun contemporary read.” ―Imaginary Reads blog
“This Girl is Different really is a powerful novel. It questions society and the world today...” ―Cup of Tea Reviews blog