Moxie

By Author / Illustrator

Jennifer Mathieu

Genre

Real life

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Hachette Children's Group

ISBN

9781444940633

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

21-09-2017

Synopsis

Vivian Carter is fed up. Fed up with her high school teachers who think the football team can do no wrong. Fed up with sexist dress codes, hallway harassment and gross comments from guys during class. But most of all, Viv Carter is fed up with always following the rules.

Viv's mum was a tough-as-nails, punk rock Riot Grrrl in the '90s, and now Viv takes a page from her mother's past and creates Moxie, a feminist zine that she distributes anonymously to her classmates. She's just blowing off steam, but other girls respond and spread the Moxie message. As Viv forges friendships with other young women across the divides of cliques and popularity rankings, she realises that what she has started is nothing short of a girl revolution.

TIME TO FIGHT LIKE A GIRL

A page-turning read with a feminist message, for anyone who has ever had to deal with #everydaysexism. 'MOXIE is sweet funny and fierce. Read this and then join the fight!' Amy Poehler. A major Netflix production directed by Amy Poehler. 'I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH!' Zoella. 'This is my new favorite book. I'm proud to be a Moxie girl!' Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places and Holding Up the Universe.

Also by Jennifer Mathieu:
The Liars: Perfect for fans of We Were Liars - two siblings wrestle with the secrets and lies that threaten to destroy their future.
The Truth About Alice: Fans of Thirteen Reasons Why will love this powerful book about stereotypes, secrets and standing up for gender equality.
Devoted: An empowering, feminist coming-of-age story about self-discovery, as a girl with a controlling family realizes that her life is her own - if only she can find the courage to fight for it.
Afterward: A tragic kidnapping leads to an unlikely friendship in this novel about finding light in the midst of darkness.

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Reviews

It was very well written and had a good plot! I would recommend people to read it and I enjoyed this book.

Suggested Reading Age 11+

Time to fight like a girl. The only Zoella Book club Choice to be nominated by Zoe Sugg! Moxie is a sweetly fierce 'feminist' novel which is funny and uplifting in equal measure. Vivian Carter, an 'average' American student, in an average American high school. Like many girls throughout the history of time, Viv is fed up. Fed up of casual sexual harassment from her peers directed towards her peers, fed up of sexist dress codes and perhaps most of all, fed up with those in authority who choose to turn a blind eye and let it happen. The turning point for Viv, comes after a particularly infuriating English lesson, where her classmate's thoughtful points of view are shouted down and disregarded by the jocks in the class. Tired of feeling powerless, Vivian decided to fight back and so the Moxie Zine (a free pamphlet) is born, with the strapline; Time to Fight like a Girl. Moxie is distributed anonymously throughout the school building, encouraging its followers to sport hand ink tattoos to show solidarity and so begins the revolution. Moxie works well as it delivers a powerful message with a witty light touch and it is an enjoyable read. It is not okay to put up with the status quo if the status quo is not treating individuals as equals. I won't give spoilers, suffice to say it is not all plain sailing for Vivian and her Moxie revolution. Vivian is a likeable normal heroine, to whom teenage girls will relate (or indeed any young adult who is fed up with the way the world is run). I would recommend this to readers aged 13+ and is a well-deserved book club choice, which could provoke lots of lively discussion. 400 pages / Ages 13+ / Reviewed by Kay Hymas, School Librarian