Six Angry Girls

June 8, 2020
Speech and debate meets Shine Theory in this smart school romp. Raina Petree and Millie Goodwin have the final semester of their senior years planned. For drama club president Raina, the plan is to land the lead in the final show of her high school career, graduate with her boyfriend of five years, and secure her spot at Carnegie Mellon. Millie hopes that her four years of living and breathing mock trial will earn her a ticket out of her scattered, needy father’s house and into the future she deserves. Then Raina, after being suddenly and unceremoniously dumped, quits theater; Millie, meanwhile, is ousted from mock trial by the now all-male team. Pulling together a crew of six, with a strict rule of “no cisgendered, heterosexual men,” the two aim to upset the status quo with a competing mock trial team, en route bonding over their shared goal while discovering unexpected depths within themselves. Through the local yarn store, Raina gets in touch with her passion for activism and makes new plans for her future, while Millie begins to set much-needed boundaries with her dad while letting in a romantic prospect. With a lightness of hand, Kisner brings together a unique group of girls, diverse in personality, identity, and sexual orientation, to create a potent story about camaraderie and power. Ages 13–up. Agent: Catherine Drayton, InkWell Management.

July 1, 2020
Grades 9-12 Feminism, intersectionality, and lots of therapeutic knitting abound in this senior-year story about girls who have flippin' had it with the injustices around them as well as those committed against them. Enter Raina, recently heartbroken and questioning whether drama is really her direction after years of giving her life to it. Next, meet Millie, who lives and breathes mock trial and is pushed out of the team by the boys during her final year. Having been wronged, the two young ladies team up and form their own, all-female rival team. And they prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that the court is no match for these angry girls. The courtroom drama coupled with the drama-kid cast is a clever nod to the classic play Twelve Angry Men, and by the end, readers will be inspired to take up anatomical knitting and yarn bombing. Amid all the patriarchy-smashing and friendship, the novel also dips into romance and preparing for college. This cheerworthy novel features a diverse group of girls powerfully refusing to be underestimated and finding strength in their common anger.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

Starred review from September 1, 2020

Gr 9 Up-After winter break, Raina and Millie's senior year goes downhill. Raina is abruptly dumped by her boyfriend and her drama club rejects her. The mock trial team, which Millie has devoted her life to, suddenly boots her, resulting in a boy-only team. When Raina writes to a local advice column which suggests a hobby where she uses her hands, she joins an activist knitting group that uses their craft to make political statements. Raina also finds Millie crying in the school bathroom, and when they share their stories, Raina suggests that they form their own team. When a competition assigns the team a side that doesn't align with their feminist values, they must choose between winning and doing the right thing. Told in legal documents, this is a fast-paced read full of humor (sometimes about knitted genitalia), passion, and realistic life problems, with a diverse cast of well-developed characters. Millie is asexual and interested in women, and while many of the characters rarely assign a word to their sexuality, they are not all cisgender or heterosexual. Millie has dark hair and eyes, while Raina's background and appearance aren't specified. Kisner raises important points about what it means to identify as a woman, and about traditional values and gender roles. The plot comes together nicely, and the ending is not too optimistic but includes a touch of happily-ever-after, and the uncertainty that can come with major life transitions. VERDICT Kisner's diverse, impassioned, and witty novel about smashing the patriarchy will leave readers feeling empowered. A must-have for any library collection.-Liz Anderson, DC P.L.

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