~ finding the right voice ~
This razor-sharp novel from Printz Honor winner and Morris Award finalist Jessie Ann Foley will appeal to fans of Wilder Girls and The Grace Year. Mia is officially a Troubled Teen™— she gets bad grades, drinks too much, and has probably gone too far with too many guys. But she doesn’t realize how out of control she seems until she is taken from her home in the middle of the night and sent away to Red Oak Academy, a therapeutic girls' boarding school in the middle of nowhere. While there, Mia is forced to confront her painful past at the same time she questions why she's at Red Oak. If she were a boy, would her behavior be considered wild enough to get sent away? But what happens when circumstances outside of her control compel Mia to make herself vulnerable enough to be truly seen? Challenging and thought-provoking, this stunning contemporary YA novel examines the ways society is stacked against teen girls and what one young woman will do to even the odds. * A Chicago Public Library Best Teen Fiction Selection * A Banks Street Best Children's Book of the Year * She was sent there to be fixed. But at Red Oak, breaking the rules is the only way to survive. A Troubled Teen Protagonist: Mia knows she’s no good. But after being taken from her home in the middle of the night, she starts to question if she’s the problem, or if society’s rules are stacked against her. Girls' Boarding School Setting: Red Oak Academy isn’t a prep school—it’s a therapeutic institution in the Minnesota wilderness where girls are sent to be fixed... or broken. Forced Proximity and Found Family: From a stalker who eats her own skin to a self-harmer with a dark past, Mia finds unexpected allies. But in a place where you can’t trust anyone, one friendship could be her salvation—or her downfall. A Dark Academia Vibe: With secrets lurking in every cabin and a roommate who plays with fire, Mia’s fight for her own sanity turns into a literal fight for her life.