Realistic Tween Fiction: How Realistic is it?

The Secret Language of Girls. By Frances O’Roark Dowell. Atheneum, 2004. 256 pages. Tr. $17.99 ISBN - 978-0689844218

Eleven-year old Kate and Marylin have been best friends and neighbors since nursery school, however, their relationship soon hits a snag. Flannery, an older girl on their block is partly responsible for this rift. Marilyn, now interested in makeup and boys, no longer wishes to spend time with her unsophisticated friend, Kate. Marilyn’s snub hurts Kate. With time Kate becomes accustomed to the changes in Marilyn, though a part of her still longs for her friend. Is it possible for Kate and Marilyn to renew their friendship, or is this rift merely a normal part of development?

Frances O’Roarck Dowell’s prose is relatable to tweens’ lives. In writing about the rift between lifelong friends, Dowell poignantly explains the difficulties that come with development. Thinking back to your own middle-school years, you’ll remember how cruel girls can suddenly become to one another. In middle school it suddenly matters what girls wear, whether they wear makeup, and who they choose as friends. Uniqueness isn’t valued, and those that don’t fit in like Kate are often shunned. When the story begins Kate isn’t interested in boys or makeup; she’d much rather read, write, and play basketball. The story outlines Kate and Marylin’s growth. Kate decides that she likes boys, and agrees to a relationship with one, but soon learns that love is complicated. By turning this boy into her boyfriend, she experiences a range of new emotions. She desperately wants to confide in Marylin, but they aren’t on talking terms. Marilyn, in contrast, develops a crush on her teacher, and decides to join the cheerleading squad. Marilyn's young brother, Petey, wise beyond his years, notices that her new friends are actually a bad influence on his sister, and longs for the old-times to return. In acquiescing to her friends’ cruel plans, Marilyn exemplifies the poor choices tweens often make in order to fit in. Paisley, Kate’s new friend, poignantly illustrates how you can choose to be yourself, and still get others to appreciate you. Finally Marilyn learns this lesson, and it appears that Marilyn and Kate will return to being friends again.