Like a Girl New by Rebecca Westcott (author)

A powerful, contemporary teen novel about the courage to be yourself in the face of online and in-school peer pressure, from the co-author of Can You See Me? – perfect for fans of Tamsin Winter, Holly Bourne and Moxie.

Fourteen-year-old Eden McCoy doesn’t fit in. All she’s good at is running, and she doesn’t even dare join the track team. Her priority is to stay in the shadows and avoid the Glossies – a ruthless clique of girls who use social media to punish and humiliate their targets, led by their queen Bea and her sidekick Mikki.

But one day, Eden breaks her vow to stay unnoticed: she beats track star Mikki in a race. This bold move captures the attention of Bea, who decides Eden needs to either prove her loyalty and become one of the Glossies – or suffer the consequences. And so The Testing begins…

As Eden is challenged to play a cruel prank on another kid or have that same act inflicted on her, her will is pushed to the limit. The only thing keeping her afloat is an unexpected connection with a boy called Riley, a fellow runner who messages her online. But how deep does The Testing run? And how long until Eden breaks?

A sharply written, grippingly entertaining and moving story that explores the joy to be found in running, sports and exercise – as well as in community, real friendship and solidarity.

Inspired by research into real teen opinions about the risks and benefits of social media.

Empathetically explores the different ways girls can be ‘put in boxes’ and the pressure to act in a way that society or their peers expect of them, with a touching mother-daughter relationship at the heart.

Our April 2024 Ages 11+ Book of the Month

Our Book of the Month for ages 11+ is Like a Girl by Rebecca Westcott. Eden McCoy doesn’t fit in. All she’s good at is running and she doesn’t even dare join the track team. Her priority is staying in the shadows to avoid the Glossies – a ruthless clique of girls who use social media to punish and humiliate their targets. But when Eden beats one of the Glossies in a race she captures the attention of their queen, Bea, who decides Eden needs to either prove her loyalty and become one of them or suffer the consequences…

A sharply written contemporary novel on bullying, Like a Girl addresses the challenges girls face in school and online and the courage that is needed to be yourself. This powerful topic was chosen through a survey carried out by Scholastic with author Rebecca Westcott of nearly 1000 UK teenagers about their feelings towards social media. As well as empathetically exploring tough topics the book celebrates the joy of exercise and the importance of community and is a perfect read for fans of Tamsin Winter and Holly Bourne.