Description
Zoey s school year is beginning…without her new BFF. Louisa is out with a bad case of the flu, and that leaves Zoey to fend for herself in the first days of middle school.
She thinks maybe it won t be so bad when she strikes up a conversation with another new girl, Taylor. But as she tags along on Taylor s quest to become one of the A-crowd, she starts to wonder how much of herself she can safely change and still be…well, herself.
Worse, new friends don t get rid of old enemies. And somehow, despite trying so hard to fit in, Zoey finds herself exactly where she didn t want to be all alone in her new school. The odd girl out.
nashpredsfan –
Zoey returns for the first day of middle school. Not only is she starting at a new school in a new town, but her best friend is also sick and not coming with her.
Melody Carlson gives young ladies another story about the challenges of youth. Odd Girl Out deals with issues like peer pressure and cyberbullying.
Through the course of the first couple weeks of school, Zoey learns that friends can use you for their own gain, that little voice inside your head warning somethings not right should be heeded, and that, no matter the challenges she’s struggling within the moment, God is always there.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
mouttet.menagerie –
Odd Girl Out is book two in Carlson’s Being Zoey series. It probably isn’t necessary to read book one first, but I think it would help because the situations in Odd Girl Out are a continuation of those started in Meet the Misfits. In Odd Girl Out Melody Carlson looks at cyber-bullying and identity theft at a middle school level. Zoey gets the feeling that everyone in school and at youth group hate her but she doesn’t know why. It turns out she is a victim of both identity theft and cyber-bullying. Unfortunately these are both realities in the lives of some tweens and teens. I am glad to see a novel written from a Christian perspective which can help kids learn the consequences of behavior.
I will be adding Odd Girl Out to my k-12 Christian school library.
I want to thank Celebrate Lit for the complimentary copy of Odd Girl Out. This is my honest review.
Deana –
Odd Girl Out continues the story of Zoe who is now facing a new school. Her best friend is sick the first few days of school, so Zoe is really feeling uncomfortable. She had an eventful summer and hopes the bullying has stopped. Before I go any further I have to mention something that was very strange to me. There are a couple of words like blase, veneer and woozers that are not even remotely used by this age group.
Zoe meets a new girl at school named Taylor who I thought was going to be trouble right away. Taylor does try to discourage Zoe from worrying about the girls that have been bullying her, but to be fair wasn’t Taylor doing the same thing by putting the girls down? I cringed when I heard Zoe being called ugly. Oh how I know what that feels like. Words do hurt and they linger in your thoughts for a long time.
It is so hard at this age to be confidant and comfortable with yourself and others. Zoe does a good job of not going overboard trying to be with the popular group. It did bring back memories for me and hard I struggled to fit in. Everyone knew my dad was a pastor so of course I was labeled the religious freak and goody two shoes. I was called ugly on a daily basis and I can still remember crying in my room every night.
The story is good and has some great words of wisdom. I liked what Taylor’s dad said; ” Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean it is good for you.” Taylor does mean well and is always encouraging Zoe but there are times she pushes too much. I think it is time for Zoe to start speaking up and following her heart. I loved that the author includes cyber bullying in the story. She does a great job of showing how it can be done and how harmful it can be. Overall the story is good and emphasizes the dangers of bullying and how easy it is to judge others.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion
calamity_manda –
In Odd Girl Out, Zoey has settled in (somewhat) and just starting school, after an amazing experience at church camp. When she has the chance to become friends with another girl who seems similar, things appear to be looking up. And yet, if only middle school were that easy. This is an excellent story of one girl learning to balance her faith with real life. I really appreciate the message in these books, and how the author shows the readers that they are not alone. For those of us out of middle school, these stories will most likely bring back memories!
This series is an excellent one to give middle school age girls.
Debbie –
“Meet the Misfits & Zoey: Odd Girl Out” by Melody Carlson are two books that are really good, and the age description on Amazon says ages 8-12 but I really think younger teens would like these books as well. Ok, I am almost 60 and I enjoyed reading them.
These books are about bullying, “Meet the Misfits” is about bullying in a minor way, trying to get someone to change who they are so that they fit into the popular class. “Zoey: Odd Girl Out” is about cyber bullying. I think the lessons in both of these books are we should “Be just who we are!
I really appreciate that these books are written about real issues that teens have to deal with today in a clean and formal way. I wasn’t in a popular class at school and these books did bring back memories of some of the abuse I experienced but these experiences aren’t really never far from memory anyway, I just shared that to say I am glad authors are writing books like these to help those that are bullied found a way to cope.
These books are not preachy, but they do point out that forgiveness and loving our enemies are important factors of what Christians are to do. I am glad that the author writes about the struggle that Zoey has trying to figure out whether the Christian faith is real or fake, I think this shows that the characters are just like real girls who struggle with this when it seems like everyone is against them.
My favorite quote from reading these books is in “Zoey: Odd Girl Out” and is made when another girl, ( the bully) asked “What ‘re you going to do without Taylor around to help you? and Zoey answered calmly ” I still have Jesus. He won’t let me down.”
I don’t know if there are other books coming that feature Zoey and her friends but if there is, I will definitely be reading them and I whole heartily recommend these two, not to just preteens but all readers who likes stories with a message of hope.
I was given complimentary copies of both books by the author and Celebrate Lit. These are my own opinions.