36/50: Pink by Wilkinsen

Pink by Lili Wilkinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pink was a great story about Ava trying to figure out who she really is. Is she emo? Is she really a lesbian? Does she have some underlying girly-girl begging to get out?

Moving to a new school gives Ava the ability to explore all this. Ava starts out at a school where you control your own destiny. She is the smart one in class but feels like she needs more. She doesn't know if she really fits in or if who she is now, really is her. The new school is private, expensive and has a couple cliques. The Pastels, where she longs to belong, and the Screws - Stage Crew. The Pastels are pretty, perfect, and Ava thinks that's where she wants to be with her pink, soft, cashmere cardigan. They are the ones in the school musical that are brilliant singers, dancers and actors. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that? Ava ends up in Stage Crew and as much as she hates it, she realizes that even if the Screws aren't Pastel material, they are truer friends, more welcoming and they don't care about your past, present or secrets.

I love that even though Ava went to a new school, she was in the same prediciment. What group does she belong in? Does she really fit in where she longs to be? Are the Pastels really where she wants to be? This book is a good illustration of the "grass is greener on the otherside". No matter what group you're in or think you're supposed to be in, there is always some hidden secret, good or bad.

I'm definitely going to keep this book around for when my nieces get older and aren't sure who they are. Books like this are the kind that parents should give their daughters when they go through an identity crisis. It's got great morals and really shows that it doesn't matter.
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