Anatomy of a Misfit

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 8, 2015

Review

Despite her supposed friendship with Becky, a popular mean girl, Anika Dragomir feels like an impostor at her high school in 1980's Nebraska, like "spider stew" among her normal peers. When fellow misfit Logan emerges from summer vacation with a new allure and begins offering her rides on his scooter, she's won over despite worrying what Becky will do if she finds out. Anika's quirk is well-balanced by her decency and intelligence and her much truer friendship with Shelli, who also lives in fear of Queen Bee Becky, is funny and touching; their frank discussions about sex and boys are refreshingly realistic. When another guy, the very popular, but possibly disingenuous Jared also begins pursuing her, it adds another layer into the already tense social dynamic, perfectly capturing the intricate unspoken rules of social status that will be recognizable to many teen readers. It is clear from the beginning that this offbeat story will end in tragedy -- brief chapters are interspersed throughout that foreshadow it -- but the tension is nicely sustained throughout. A darkly comic, emotionally rich novel that will appeal to fans of John Green, A.S. King and Rainbow Rowell.

Overall Book Score: very good