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134th out of 231 books
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554 voters
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My Tiki Girl
by
Jennifer McMahon (Goodreads Author)
Maggie was looking for a friend in Dahlia. She never guessed she?d find love, too.
All the tenth-grade girls hate Dahlia Wainwright?a smart, natural beauty and freaky outsider all in one. And that's "exactly" what Maggie Keller is drawn to, for she herself is an outsider, having withdrawn from the high school elite crowd after a car accident that killed her mothe
...moreHardcover, 240 pages
Published
May 15th 2008
by Dutton Juvenile
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Maggie Keller's life has been turned upside down because of an automobile accident. She used to be one of the popular girls but now she is just the dark, freaky girl with the bad leg. Then she meets Dahlia. This new girl brings Maggie out of her shell. Dahlia's mother suffers from depression and other mental issues, but her unpredictability and manic personality are just what Maggie needs. The entire story touches on the question "What is normal?" When Maggie finds herself falling in l...more
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
Maggie Keller's life turned upside down the day she forgot Toto. In eighth grade, Maggie was cast as Dorothy, the lead in The Wizard of Oz. As her mom is driving her to rehearsal, Maggie shouts out that she forgot the stuffed dog at home. Her mom, without checking the traffic around them, turns the car around and causes an accident.
Maggie was once the most popular girl in her class. But after the accident, she has a deformed leg, an...more
Maggie Keller's life turned upside down the day she forgot Toto. In eighth grade, Maggie was cast as Dorothy, the lead in The Wizard of Oz. As her mom is driving her to rehearsal, Maggie shouts out that she forgot the stuffed dog at home. Her mom, without checking the traffic around them, turns the car around and causes an accident.
Maggie was once the most popular girl in her class. But after the accident, she has a deformed leg, an...more
Two years ago Maggie's life was irrevocably changed. A car accident shattered Maggie's leg and took the life of her mother. Maggie spent most of the year in the hospital and then recovering at home. Once a straight-A student and heavily involved in drama, Maggie's not sure who she is anymore. Her friends and classmates don't know who she is, either, and Maggie is feeling very alone.
Enter Dahlia. Dahlia lives with her mentally ill mother in the not-so-nice part of town. Maggie so...more
Enter Dahlia. Dahlia lives with her mentally ill mother in the not-so-nice part of town. Maggie so...more
Jennifer McMahon is one of my favorite authors. I have read all of her books so far, and 3 1/2 stars would have been a better rating for this book. All of her books are eccentric, bizarre, strange, and slightly twisted, which I think is the main reason I like them. I always feel like I'm in some sort of perverted circus world a little bit when I read them (Is that weird?). And this one was no different, however I feel that her first attempt at a young adult novel was a little bit too provoc
...more
I really couldn't stand the first 60 pages of this one--didn't like the characters, didn't like the premise, just didn't work for me, but I kept going because the writing was solid and good. I'm happy I worked with it. This is a 4 star book if I ignored the first bit, but I can't so it's knocked down to three. I really think the complexities of relationships (all kinds) and the characters were wonderful, fresh, interesting, compelling and entertaining. Thought provoking. Definitely emotional. Gu...more
Maggie Keller forgot Toto, and that is where everything turned upside down. She is Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz play at her school, and forces her mother to turn back. After an accident, not only does she lose her mother but her popularity as well. Now she is the outcast, with the bad leg. Then she meets Dahlia, the new girl. Dahlia forces her out of her shell, and teaches her to look at life a different way. Under the guidance of Dahlia and her mother, she becomes Tiki Girl. She is loved, and sh...more
Maggie finds her old friendships and school don't hold much interest anymore after her mother dies in a car accident that she feels she was the cause of. She takes up with new girl and outsider Dahlia, and begins to spend lots of time with her and her wacky (read mentally ill) mother, and cute but disturbed younger brother, to the point of neglecting her schoolwork and ignoring her father. She falls in love with Dahlia, and Dahlia seemingly returns her feelings until others find out. Suddenly Da...more
The story is about Maggie, a girl who used to be popular until a car accident killed her mother and left her with a scarred and limping leg. Maggie can't face her old popular friends, so she becomes close to one of the outcasts, Dahlia, who loves Sylvia Plath, wants to form a band, and has a crazy family. As Maggie gets wrapped up in the elaborate fantasy life Dahlia's family creates, Maggie also loses herself to the power and fear that is first love...with Dahlia.
I feel like I've re...more
I feel like I've re...more
An excellent YA novel that really elevates the queer YA subgenre beyond didactic coming out stories and into the realm of romance and poetry. The characters were all so realistic, and the ending (while abrupt) was consistent with the building feverish pitch that could not possibly be sustained. I was struck by how often thing the characters did and said reminded me of things I had done and said at that age. In that way, I found myself able to relate to almost all of them.
Not sure If I'm going to enjoy this book. I dislike the behaviors of all the characters. Stealing gas from cars in an AA meeting parking lot, and shoplifting for fun. I'm not liking it.... but we'll see.
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Ok, I finished the book, and I change my mind, I did like the book. At first the concept of the "dolls", was a little weird. After reading more of the book, I realized the dolls, especia...more
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Ok, I finished the book, and I change my mind, I did like the book. At first the concept of the "dolls", was a little weird. After reading more of the book, I realized the dolls, especia...more
I think this is an excellent "young adult" book; I hope Jennifer McMahon writes more. Reminded me a bit of Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, which is one of the best books I've ever read, never mind one of the best "young adult" books I've ever read. (I keep putting "young adult" in quotes because there's such a weird ebb and flow between late-childhood/teen/adult books so it's such a fluid category...anyway.) Sensitive, interesting, thoughtful, funny, moving.
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After writing adult fiction and moving into YA, it astounds me how little difference there often is. Mostly, no adults. Or adults on the side. A healthy dose. But not the main course.
I liked this book. It was realistic, dealt with same sex attraction as well as the variety of attraction altogether. Ended realistically. No cinderella or HEA here.
A good read for people of any age.
I liked this book. It was realistic, dealt with same sex attraction as well as the variety of attraction altogether. Ended realistically. No cinderella or HEA here.
A good read for people of any age.
I loved this novel so much. It deals with the confusion of being an adolescent, and not just with sexual orientation. The battle in Maggie's mind is one that I think more people have than care to admit. The author brings the battle down to earth by making the characters real enough to love, but just otherwordly enough to allow you to live vicariously through them without thinking that you are them, if that makes any sense.
Ok so I started to read this book and kind of pre-judged it. I thought that it was going to be one of those really out-there books that are just odd, not that there is anything wrong with those, they just aren't my favorites. I ended up liking this book though, I mean it wasnt the best book that I have ever read but I enjoyed the quirkyness of it and the freeness of the characters. Good read.
Raina
rated it
Recommends it for:
Teens, high school, maybe middle school
Recommended to Raina by:
YALSA-BK
Girl dealing with the death of her mother falls in love with her free spirit friend. Deals with mental illness, queer issues, physical abuse, popularity, choices, parents, magic, imagination, identity. Very engrossing as only teen angst can be. It was excruciating to read it (practically) a chapter at a time on breaks at work. Also an interesting exploration of alternative/hippie/gypsy/mental lifestyle vs. more "normal" suburban life.
Ok, I didn't read this story word for word, I got about halfway through before I couldn't take any more of it, and I just skimmed the rest. I didn't like it, maybe there was more the story than what I saw, but it was about two young girls falling in love, with each other. I thought it was going to be a mystery, as I have enjoyed the other two Jennifer McMahon books I have read, but this one I didn't really like at all. I felt sorry for Maggie, losing her mother and all, and I am sure it was hard...more
This is an interesting YA book about a young girl who falls in love with her eccentric best friend. I liked the way McMahon was able to deal with the realities of facing ones sexuality.
I love the relationship between the main character, Maggie, and her best friend Dahlia. It's a fantastic look at the way best friends can become more and the way sexuality can be fluid.
Not what I expected. I kept waiting for someone to be killed, some crazy psychopath to show up...no such luck. Simple coming of age tale which isn't really my thing.
It was not one of my favorite Jennifer McMahon books. I think I would have given it 2.5 stars. I just never cared for any of the characters, like I have in her other books.
It starts a bit slow, but I'm a sucker for YA lesbian romances.
I like Jennifer McMahon, but I couldnt finish this one..
Aside from the obligatory angst of teenage high school hell, 'My Tiki Girl' deftly explores the world of difference and the fallacies of preceptions.
There are several things I appreciate in 'My Tiki Girl': a complete cast of characters from the popular kids through a variety of 'misfits'; realistic dialogue and teenage attitudes; tough topics tackled from the impact of family tragedy to sexual identity; and the positive but non-fluff ending.
I'd definitely recommend this well-written Y...more
There are several things I appreciate in 'My Tiki Girl': a complete cast of characters from the popular kids through a variety of 'misfits'; realistic dialogue and teenage attitudes; tough topics tackled from the impact of family tragedy to sexual identity; and the positive but non-fluff ending.
I'd definitely recommend this well-written Y...more
Wot?
Ok, I guess I should read a synopsis about a book before crazily DEMANDING to read it!!! First off, I was unaware this was a Young Adult book. Then, I had no clue it talks about two young girls falling in love.
It WAS a goodread though!! Don't get me wrong. It was a good book. Just unexpected reading material. :)
It WAS a goodread though!! Don't get me wrong. It was a good book. Just unexpected reading material. :)
started slow and a little too convienently, got a little better as it went along. i wouldn't have finished it if i wasn't such a sap for romance. the ending made me yell, 'gah! does queer fiction EVER end without a breakup or someone dying?!'
McMahon's ability to create a vividly real (and quirky and uncomfortably comfortable) setting is staggering. I like how her main character finds her sexual identity even when she's not looking for it.
This was a painful book to read. It was about a depressed girl who falls in love with another dysfunctional girl and every one around them is messed up. I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Bridge To Tarabithia meets Degrassi.
I gave this a harsher review at first, but then I had to go back and think about what young adult novels are. (It'd been too long since I read one)
I gave this a harsher review at first, but then I had to go back and think about what young adult novels are. (It'd been too long since I read one)
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I live in central Vermont with my partner and my daughter. I'm the author of Promise Not to Tell, Island of Lost Girls, and Dismantled. My new suspense novel for HarperCollins is called Don't Breathe a Word -- it was released May, 2011.
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“I've lived here ... my whole life. It's where I lost all my baby teeth. Where tiny hamster, gerbil, and bird skeletons lie in rotted-out cardboard coffins beneath the oak tree in our backyard. Also where, if some future archaeologist goes digging, they'll find the remains of a plush toy: a gray terrier named Toto I buried after the accident.”
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