12-year-old Lia says goodbye to everything she knows. And hello to a new country, a new language and some painful, unexpected physical changes: Her first period! Could life get any worse?
12-year-old Lia says goodbye to everything she knows. And hello to a new country, a new language and some painful, unexpected physical changes: Her first period! Could life get any worse?
Goodbye, old life …
As 12-year-old Lia sits at the airport with her family, she’s feeling kinda lousy. I mean, her parents are forcing her to leave behind her friends, her beloved grandparents, and, well, everything she’s ever known! And it’s all so they can start something new in a country called Canada.
From everything Lia’s heard, this Canada place is nowhere near as good as her home country of Romania. Oh, and get this, the people there don’t even speak the right language: They speak French, some mumbo-jumbo she’s never even heard before. OK, maybe she’s heard it, but she definitely wasn’t paying any attention.
Arrgh!
Everything is so stressful that it’s making Lia double over with a massive stomachache. It’s terrible. But when the young girl hustles off to the bathroom where she can suffer in a stall in peace, she makes a big discovery. Her current state of agony isn’t just nerves; she’s having her first period. As if things weren’t horrible enough.
What Lia doesn’t know at this point in her misery is that the wretchedness is only just beginning.
When she gets to her new “home” and her new school, she’ll have to face a whole string of uphill challenges: taking classes that she doesn’t understand; watching her grades tank; meeting kids that think she’s weird; dealing with agonizing monthly menstrual cycles.
Lia wonders if she’ll ever feel like herself again. But the truth is, she might be feeling better before she knows it.
Just give it a little time, Lia. You might be surprised.
The book doesn’t deal with faith.
The New Girl does, however, address a raft of emotional and physical changes that tween Lia is dealing with. It states that change is, in some form, a part of every young person’s life. And it proclaims that turning to supportive friends and loving family members can help relieve the stress of that journey.
Lia’s mom and dad are both loving and caring parents who want to help Lia adapt to her new world. Lia’s mom gently helps her daughter navigate the scariness and hygienic mechanics of her first menstrual cycle. (It’s only addressed in generalities, and we aren’t given the details of any of that.)
Lia’s parents and her art teacher encourage her to apply herself in the artistic gifts she has. The young girl uses those blossoming skills and contributes to a school newsletter, gaining new friends along the way.
We don’t get to know Lia’s other teachers well, but they are all presented as patient (especially in light of Lia’s language struggles) and caring.
Lia’s new friends all have the common struggle of adapting to a new country and a new language. They support one another and are good friends who resolve any issues by striving to communicate better.
There are no content issues to deal with here other than Lia’s raging jealousy over a friend’s “betrayal” when that girl begins spending time with Julien, the boy Lia has a crush on. Eventually, the two girls realize that it was all a misunderstanding. They apologize and make up.
As mentioned, Lia crushes on Julien. Lia has to figure out how to manage her feelings.
Another girl in Lia’s new circle of friends mentions that she has feelings for another girl. But the girl never follows through on that crush.
How would you handle moving to a new country and having to learn a new language? Is there someone you could turn to and talk openly with about those kinds of struggles and the feelings they bring?
What about the prospect of making new friends like Lia did? Have you ever had a difficult time making a friend? What helps the process? What did Lia do that made a difference in the good relationships she had?
Lia’s skills at art helped her connect at school. Do you have some abilities or skills that might help you connect better?
Take a look at Isaiah 41:10. When God says, “Do not fear, for I am with you,” what does that mean? Does that statement apply to scary things like moving to a new place or transitioning from junior high into high school?
Why can you rely on God to “uphold you with My righteous right hand”?
This award-winning bestseller talks directly to kids dealing with a fear of big changes in their lives. The book directly and charmingly addresses a young girl facing puberty, leaving familiar things behind, learning a new language and reaching out to find new friends. It also talks about things like the misery of pimples and dealing with jealousy.
A teen girl mentions having a crush on another girl in the story mix, but she doesn’t follow through on those feelings.
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
