The Bad Girls [Hardcover]

Cynthia Voigt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1996 | Age Level: 10 and up | Series: Bad Girls

Best friends Margalo and Mikey, two girls from the other side of the tracks, begin fifth grade with chips on their shoulders and seek to prove to everyone that they fear nothing, trust nobody, and can be tough even if they are not boys.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Bad Girls is the story of two fifth-graders, Mickey Elsinger and Margalo Epps, whose friendship is portrayed through acts of loyalty, betrayal, mischief, and kindness that probe the sweetness and vindictiveness of girls that age. Much of the story pivots on the ethics displayed when Margalo places a squished squirrel in the lunch sack of Rhonda Ransom, who had viciously derailed Mickey's chance to be elected class president, and when Mickey and Margalo stand together in front of the principal when confronted with the act.

From Publishers Weekly

If Thelma and Louise had met in fifth grade they might have taken lessons in bravado from Mikey and Margalo, the heroines of this tart, subversive and wholly entertaining comedy. Set entirely at school, the world that matters most to the characters here, the action begins on the first day of fifth grade as new girls Mikey and Margalo size up each other and their classmates. About six weeks later, by the novel's end, they realize they are kindred spirits-girls who have a keen interest in shaking things up and can't be bothered to act nice or docile. Mikey, who observes that she misbehaves out of anger while Margalo's badness is "about mischief," is more obviously a bad girl; she punches out the class tough guy and she talks back to the teacher. Margalo, however, is the more talented troublemaker, a subtle hatcher of schemes and planter of rumors. With a few assured strokes, Newbery Medalist Voigt (Dicey's Song; When She Hollers) populates the class with full-bodied characters, and she perfectly calibrates the fifth graders' absorption in popularity and social standing. Insightful and truthful as ever, she doesn't worry about giving her wayward heroines hearts of gold. Instead, she leaves it to her audience to admire their escapades and their cool disregard for public opinion and, when readers are done laughing, to begin questioning the conventions that surround them, too. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590601342
• ISBN-13: 978-0590601344
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,647,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cynthia Voigt won the Newbery Medal for Dicey's Song and the Newbery Honor Award for A Solitary Blue, both part of the beloved Tillerman Cycle. She is also the author of many other celebrated books for middle-grade and teen readers, including Izzy, Willy-Nilly and Jackaroo. She was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1995 for her work in literature, and the Katahdin Award in 2004. She lives in Maine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Major Good Book!, December 1, 2005

By 

woohoo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bad Girls (Paperback)

This book is about two girls who are, basically, bad. But in two different ways. Margalo is bad for mischief. She loves to play tricks and start rumors, and this eventually comes down on her. And Mikey is bad for anger. She is a good soccer player and plays on the team, but stupid Louis Caselli (who is also on the team and in her class) is always getting on her case, teasing her and calling her names like Porky and Mee-Shell. It's kind of lengthy but worth the time. There's a sequel, but I can't seem to get my hands on it.....

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining, November 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bad Girls (Hardcover)

This is one of my favorite books. It is entertaining and real at the same time. The girls are outrageous, but the feelings they have are what everyone goes through. They're fun characters, and the other characters are also interesting. I really enjoy reading this book!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Bad, But Not the Greatest, December 8, 2000

By 

Lauren (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bad Girls (Paperback)

Bad Girls by Cythia Voight was a pretty good book. It was kind of slow at the start but got pretty good. Another thing I didn't really like that the book went on and on for somethings. The book was about two girls who were really tough and made trouble. It was quite funny at points.