Title: The List
Author: Siobhan Vivian
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: March 25, 2014
Ratings: 4/5
Plot Synopsis from Goodreads:
It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn’t matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.
Book Review
This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, “pretty” and “ugly.” And it’s also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two
The List is a very well-written book that examines what happens after eight high school girls are designated either the prettiest or ugliest in their grade. It’s often brutal to read but unflinchingly honest about what high school can be like.
I especially liked the characters of Milo and Danielle and really felt for Lauren. Even though the storyline was split among so many characters’ perspectives, I felt like I got inside each girl’s head enough to understand her motivations and reactions. That can’t have been easy to write.
GENERAL SPOILER ALERT: The List has kind of a Chocolate War (the movie) ending in that there is a lot of suffering, then seeming closure and hope that a bad tradition will end, but then…maybe…not so much. It was a realistic ending though. END GENERAL SPOILER.
I would highly recommend The List book to upper YAs and adults who appreciate thoughtful, well-written contemporary novels that make you think “What would I do in this situation? How would I react?”
I will be checking out Siobhan Vivian’s previous novels ASAP.