Bad Girls in Love

Bad Girls #4

by Cynthia Voigt, Barry David Marcus (Photographer)

With eighth grade halfway behind them, best friends Mikey Elsinger and Margalo Epps can predict certain events, like who can't stand them (the usual) and how their grades compare (about the same), like how they feel about the school play (so-so) and the big dance (negative). What they don't predict is that they'll start to like boys...that way. Then Shawn Macavity is named the lead in the play, and Mikey is struck speechless -- a completely new experience for her. Shawn isn't just any boy. Beautiful, with a hooked nose (it works for him), black (but not dyed) hair, and a name that isn't spelled S-E-A-N, he's the only boy. And so, with a flash of her bug-squashing smile, Mikey goes after him. Margalo can't help but wonder, has Mikey lost her mind? WAS SHE ABDUCTED BY ALIENS? Where is the Mikey she's known since fifth grade? Meanwhile she has romantic problems of her own to worry about. And unlike Mikey, Margalo isn't telling the whole school about them. In this fourth book in Cynthia Voigt's Bad Girls series, as Mikey and Margalo struggle to understand that funny thing called love, they find that boys may come and go, but bad girls are bad for life.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Romance

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Cynthia Voigt is an American author of books for young adults dealing with various topics such as adventure, mystery, racism and child abuse.


Awards:
Angus and Sadie: the Sequoyah Book Award (given by readers in Oklahoma), 2008
The Katahdin Award, for lifetime achievement, 2003
The Anne V. Zarrow Award, for lifetime achievement, 2003
The Margaret Edwards Award, for a body of work, 1995
Jackaroo: Rattenfanger-Literatur Preis (ratcatcher prize, awarded by the town of Hamlin in Germany), 1990
Izzy, Willy-Nilly: the Young Reader Award (California), 1990
The Runner: Deutscher Jungenliteraturpreis (German young people's literature prize), 1988
Zilverengriffel (Silver Pen, a Dutch prize), 1988
Come a Stranger: the Judy Lopez Medal (given by readers in California), 1987
A Solitary Blue: a Newbery Honor Book, 1984
The Callender Papers: The Edgar (given by the Mystery Writers of America), 1984
Dicey's Song: the Newbery Medal, 1983

Reviews

[Maree · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I don't think anything of interest actually happened in this book. It was all middle school drama, which isn't really drama, just little things made out to be big. I wouldn't have finished this book if it wasn't for a reading challenge.

One uplifting thing is that if this book can be published, then I've definitely got a decent shot at writing a publishable YA novel.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bad Girls in Love is a hilarious book. I loved each character although at some points I wanted to punch some of them. The ending gives a nice closure which I love in books and that satisfied me. It also seemed like something that could happen to any one in middle school which made me like it even more.

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't like it. I got lost on some parts and didn't get some of it. Sometimes you couldn't tell who was talking and the jokes were really corny. This isn't the kind of book I expected it to be.

[Clanesha Munford · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was terrible and boring! The author needs to do better. I rate it an D-.

[Joao Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story, the characters are all weird but, at the same time, relatable and at times surprising. I just didn't like the fact that the mothers seem to be an issue. None of the characters call them mom, which is super strange, I found. Most of the characters have super strange names too, which would be funny it was used less. I liked the language. She does so pretty interesting things with it and maybe that as an attempt to sound like a teen, I dunno. I am not a teen. I didn't like the title either. They are sure not "bad" girls in any sense I can think of. They are struggling to interpret their feelings, learning to be who they are, to relate to others... Those are universal, aren't they? A book for those of us who are also in-between people.

[Hailey M]

this book was really easy and the words were pretty big. so I was able to finish it in one night. note to self. read books with a harder reading level if you want to challenge yourself.still, a good book all and all

[Tara Dryml]

Mikey and Margalo are best friends in the 5th grade and could care less. It all changes when Mikey develops a crush on a boy named Shawn. She turns boy crazy and is very obvious about her crush, her best friend Margalo tries to help her navigate and tone down her crush throughout the book. (Author/ Traditional Literature Book).

[Emani Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Voigt’s purpose of writing this book, Bad Girls in Love, is to let her audience know that teenagers actually go through high school experiences that we see in present day. Bad Girls in Love is a book that will help you learn about the things you go through in middle school and in high school. There really isn’t a great impact the book has on the audience but for some it may help them a lot. The values of this book won’t be lasting but it is still a great book to read. Bad Girls in Love isn’t really a book that will always and forever be on your mind unless you can relate to it. There are different things that you can learn from reading this book.
Bad Girls in Love is a very well written book. The story was kind of simple and something you wouldn’t expect by reading the title. There were some parts of the book that had you surprised by their actions. The author provides realistic examples of things that can actually happen in school of the life of teenagers. For example when Mikey stated “Emboldened by success, at lunch Louis attacked again”(Voigt 48). By attacking someone else, it represented that they were fighting, which actually happens in schools now a days.This showed how everyone was confused because they didn’t understand why Louis was acting like this.
The book Bad Girls in Love wasn’t a really great captivating book but, it will draw your attention. This romantic book will have you on your toes on some parts. This book may relate to some readers because they might have experienced these things while growing up and going to middle school. Bad Girls in Love was a very dull book knowing that it was only really dealing with middle school drama which isn’t really drama. When Mikey questioned “Why is he so jealous?” it left the readers clueless of why Ronnie actually was (Voigt 117). Girls and Boys both gossip about their peers which relates to the book and its teenage drama.
The greatest strength of this book is that it was told in a very realistic way. Its very entertaining to read like The Passage and Walks with Men. This is also a book that deals with drama not only with girls, but with boys too. Ronnie was curious “Do you think Doug will beat Shawn up?’(Voigt 117). This shows that reality and books can match each other. A great weakness in this book is that it really won’t keep a reader’s attention if you’re someone that likes to get to the point of a book. Also, there were too many things to focus on while reading the book.
Bad Girls in Love isn’t a book that I would really recommend a friend to read. If you’re a person that likes a book that keeps you on your feet and toes the whole time, then this is not the right book for you. Even though there are some very great and interesting parts of the book, it’s not exactly something to look forward too. Depending on knowing what your friends like to read you would know whether to mention it or not.

[Beckie · Rating 3 out of 5]

i know, i should have realised from the title that this wouldn't be very good, but it's cynthia voigt! she wrote the wonderful tillerman books! i didn't really think she would have stooped so low as to write anything so mainstream and mediocre, but i was sadly disappointed. it wasn't terrible or anything and it wasn't entirely formulaic, but the characters were just so much less well developed and individual than those in her other books. still, it was kind of enjoyable and a quick read. besides, i think junior high romance is about my level.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of my students thought this book was inappropriate for our elementary school so I read it to decide and thought it wasn't bad but wasn't worth keeping! Mikey has a crush on the star of the school play and sets out to win him while Margalo tries to slow her down, but it doesn't work. There is some talk of girls being pressured for sex, so I just decided not to worry about it and give it to the middle school.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I vaguely remember reading this book, but I need to re-read it because I don't remember much of anything. I do know that there is a series of this book including: Bad Girls; Bad, Badder, Baddest; It's Not Easy Being Bad; and Bad Girls in Love.

I read Bad Girls in Love first, and I think I need to go back and read the other ones first.

[Kyla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Argh, I love Cynthia Voigt's Homecoming series beyond reason, utterly and completely. So I've tried to like or even get through a single Bad Girls book and have failed again with this one - something so flat and unappealing to me about this series. No Dicey, that's for sure.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mikey and Margalo are in eighth grade now, and both experience their first crushes. I like the candid way they speak to each other. Their friendship feels realistic, even if the plot is nothing very memorable.

56/60 tbr box.

[Jasmine P · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a really great book i love mikey and margalo they're so funny teens can relate a lot with the characters i reccomend it to high schoolers its a really awesome book

[Goldie Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marglo and Mikey are more than relateable. The book is book is perfect to the t when it comes to describing highschool exspeireinces

[Nadia Lund · Rating 3 out of 5]

kinda wierd...

[*CrAzY-PeRFeCtNeSs!!!! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its pretty good but i like da first one betta!

[Emma]

This is the same book as "From Bad To Worse" just published under a different title. I enjoy the different way the two main female characters approach life.

[Kori Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was confusing. The author left out a bunch of details that you needed to know in order to understand some things.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this simply because a student said it contained cuss words. (I did not find any in the book.) Overall, it was a basic middle school story--full of teen drama and angst.

[Ahna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really like this book i just thought it was kinda boring.

[Tori]

Pretty funny!

[Alonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book. Totally recommend.