Between The Covers: The List

From GoodReads:
An intense look at the rules of high school attraction — and the price that’s paid for them.
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.
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.

I heard Siobhan Vivian speak at an awards banquet and totally enjoyed her speech. She was fun, she was real and when she shared the reasons why she writes young adult books I was hooked. The List follows the point of view of eight girls for one week as they each learn that they have been placed on The List of the two most prettiest and ugliest students in each grade. Each character is very real, their new found lives after learning how their school sees them is a pleasure to read as the book felt fresh, new and wasn’t a standard read.

The book started a bit slow for me as Siobhan gave each girl a chapter to deal with the emotions surrounding being chosen for the list. Each of the eight girls dealt with being on the list differently and as each character dealt with their feeling and the response, I felt this part was a tad long. From then on as the book progressed through the week Siobhan explored fresh teen issues without the book feeling forced or tedious.

This book really examines what pretty is and that is may not only be skin deep. It also examines how one can embrace labels thrust upon them and what choices are made when the public inserts their opinion.

The List will be available in April os 2012 but visit Siobhan Vivian online for more information about her other books.