Bad Girls in Love [School & Library Binding]

Cynthia Voigt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2004 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

With eighth grade halfway behind them, best friends Mikey Elsinger and Margalo Epps can predict certain events, like who can't stand them (the usual) and how their grades compare (about the same), like how they feel about the school play (so-so) and the big dance (negative). What they don't predict is that they'll start to like boys...that way.

Then Shawn Macavity is named the lead in the play, and Mikey is struck speechless -- a completely new experience for her. Shawn isn't just any boy. Beautiful, with a hooked nose (it works for him), black (but not dyed) hair, and a name that isn't spelled S-E-A-N, he's the only boy. And so, with a flash of her bug-squashing smile, Mikey goes after him.

Margalo can't help but wonder, has Mikey lost her mind? WAS SHE ABDUCTED BY ALIENS? Where is the Mikey she's known since fifth grade? Meanwhile she has romantic problems of her own to worry about. And unlike Mikey, Margalo isn't telling the whole school about them.

In this fourth book in Cynthia Voigt's Bad Girls series, as Mikey and Margalo struggle to understand that funny thing called love, they find that boys may come and go, but bad girls are bad for life.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Bad Girls in Love, the latest entry in her Bad Girls series, Newbery Medalist Cynthia Voigt revisits the world of junior high, here exploring the experience of falling in love for the first time. Mikey has a major crush on Shawn, and Margalo has the hots for her teacher and with the school dance fast approaching, they are running out of time to figure out what to do about their situations. Ages 9-13.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8 Mikey and Margalo are now 14, and stumbling awkwardly into the teenage world of couplehood. As in the previous books, the best friends are not accepted by the popular crowd in school. The other eighth graders are heavily into the social scene, but, while Mikey and Margalo are curious, they are never included in party invitations and seem to have no interest in boys. Then Mikey sees Shawn Macavity, who has suddenly become the epitome of cool, and she falls head over heels into her first crush. She lacks sense and sensitivity as she pursues the uninterested Shawn relentlessly and foolishly. Margalo, meanwhile, has a crush as well. She has fallen for a teacher, but never confides in Mikey, and never seems to interact with him at all. In fact, teachers and parents rarely appear and seem to have little or no impact on these characters' lives. Even when her divorced mother announces her marriage to her much older and rich boyfriend and doesn't invite her to the wedding, Mikey's focus remains on Shawn. While the girls' repartee is entertaining at times, and some readers may enjoy the glimpses into junior high life, this story is full of loose ends, flat characters, and casual references to hot topics from sex, drinking, and drugs to affirmative action, with no follow through. It's all shallow and unsatisfying, so purchase it only if you have major "Bad Girls" fans in your library. -Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 240 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback Books: A Division of Sanval (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613925173
• ISBN-13: 978-0613925174
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,535,050 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

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Baddest" book yet!, December 19, 2002

By 

michelle llewellyn (Utah, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bad Girls in Love (Hardcover)

One of the best things I love about Voight's books are how real her characters are. I'm a longtime BIG fan and was delighted to discover this new series.I loved these books immediatly from the first Bad Girls book I read. (And if you've never read the first three I'd highly recommend them too!) She delivers yet agian in this new book and keeps you guessing all the way through the story. I have a pretty good idea who the mysterious telephone caller is, for example. If you're hesitant about the word "Love" in the title don't worry, there's no mushy, sugary fluff here. It's all about survival as any bad girl knows. Mikey and Margelo are quickly entering the world of teenagers with all it's cliques, fashion statements, and innocent questions-what exactly is this lurve business all about anyway? Mikey is struck dumb, for the first time in her life, at the sight of Shawn MaCavity while Margalo looks on, amused, secretly carring the burden of her own crush. As always the bad girls stick together in their latest dilemma and Voight captures the drama in a humourous way. This could be any junior high school in any town. If you enjoyed the first three books you won't be dissapointed by this one!

3.0 out of 5 stars Bad Girls In Love Book Review, January 6, 2008

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Bad Girls In Love (Anne Schwartz Books) (Paperback)

This book, Bad Girls In Love, by Cynthia Voigt, was not one of my favorite books, but it was still a good one. At some of the parts in this story it was easy to follow along with, but at others it could get confusing, or hard to understand. Some parts i could relate with, like when Mikey was "love struck" over Shawn, or when Margalo had a secret crush and she refused to tell anyone about him. Almost any eighth grade girl could probably relate with that because they all have probably gone through that same thing. Mikey and Margalo are going to a junior high where its all about the cliques and the fashion, much like any other junior high. There were some parts in the story where i wished that the author would have gone more into detail about, like with Mikey's secret admirer, the author never did tell who it was, even though i can guess who it was.

Overall though, i think that the author did a great job of bringing back these junior high feelings through these teen characters, Margalo and Mikey. They both get love crazed over these guys, but in the end they did learn a valuable lesson. This was that friends will always come before guys.

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly Awesome, December 11, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Bad Girls In Love (Anne Schwartz Books) (Paperback)

This book was hilarious and incredibly awesome. I loved it as did many of my friends. I have now read it about ten times, and it still seems to get better every time. Mikey and Margalo have great personalities and dialouges. If you have any doubt about buying this book, you need to 100%!