Freak
A Novel
Square Fish · Print & ebook · September 17, 2013
For Miriam Fisher, a budding poet who reads the Oxford English Dictionary for fun, seventh grade is a year etched in her memory "clear as pain." That's the year her older sister, Deborah, once her best buddy and fellow "alien," bloomed like a beautiful flower and joined the high school in-crowd.
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- Who it’s for
- A word-loving outsider’s painful school year gives this novel its nerve and emotional pull.
- Themes
- School bullying, Outsider identity, Inner strength
- Pacing
- Mixed
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Start with this bookAbout this book
For Miriam Fisher, a budding poet who reads the Oxford English Dictionary for fun, seventh grade is a year etched in her memory "clear as pain." That's the year her older sister, Deborah, once her best buddy and fellow "alien," bloomed like a beautiful flower and joined the high school in-crowd. That's the year high school senior Artie Rosenberg, the "hottest guy in the drama club" and, Miriam thinks, her soul mate, comes to live with Miriam's family.
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And that's the year the popular "watermelon girls" turn up the heat in their cruel harassment of Miriam—ripping her life wide open in shocking, unexpected ways. Teased and taunted in school, Miriam is pushed toward breaking, until, in a gripping climax, she finds the inner strength to prove she's a force to be reckoned with. This riveting first novel introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine, an outsider who dares to confront the rigid conformity of junior high, and in the process manages not only to save herself but to inspire and transform others.
Words Against Conformity
A word-loving outsider’s painful school year gives this novel its nerve and emotional pull.
Come here for
- A budding poet’s perspective on the brutal social rules of junior high.
- An intimate story of feeling out of step and finding strength.
Expect
- A direct, emotionally serious look at cruelty and conformity.
- A heroine whose love of words shapes how she sees the world.
Where it sits
| Bullying for Teens | 73% |
|---|---|
| Loners & Outsiders for Teens | 62% |
| Coming of Age | 44% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Self-Esteem & Resilience
- Peer Pressure for Teens
- Finding Your Footing
- Authors
- Marcella Pixley
- Publisher
- Square Fish
- Published
- September 17, 2013
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- School bullying · Outsider identity · Inner strength
- Reading lane
- Self-Esteem & Resilience