The School for Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer

"She blamed me. And now, I was going to get punished."

My Rating: 10/10

Publisher: Scholastic
Publication: January 2009
ISBN: 978-0-545-03528-6
Page Count: 341
Age Range: Children - Young Adult

Angela Cardenas isn't your typical teenager who just get in some troubles in her life. Her whole life basically defines trouble.

The School for Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer is about Hidden Oak Academy for Dangerous Girls. Schrefer gives the glimpses of events that lead Angela to be enrolled in Hidden Oak.

All the Hidden Oak Academy girls did something bad enough for their parents/guardians to give consent to Hidden Oak's staff to do, well, anything to discipline them.

There's Dr. Zsilinska, Angela's counselor who just listens and talk in a circle. There's Juin, who has been to Hidden Oak and know all these things before.

There's Hidden Oak; the school that imprison its girls within.

In Hidden Oak's orientation, the counselors would make the girls fight among themselves to show their true colors. Then they judge whether each girl belongs to the Golden or the Purple thread.

The less dangerous you are--say, probably an emotional breakdown that made your parents think you're crazy--the more likely you'll be in Golden thread.

Angela was probably one of the most innocent, isn't she? But her motto in her whole life has been to stay as dangerous as possible. This book is about survival of the fittest in Hidden Oak; the hell of teenage crimes, and the teenager's solution to societal expectations.

What I love about this book: It was really about survival. The mystery in the beginning definitely build up the story and made you just want to read further and further. It was set in a good pace, and although it was a middle grade book (not too easy, not too hard--vocab wise) it was still thrilling. I love it.

What I dislike: The ending wasn't..exactly proper. I was hoping for...more about the Hidden Oak's fate at the end (you'll know what I mean when you read the book--since I'm not gonna spoil it for you...). I wouldn't mind reading another 50-100 pages about the ending, because it was just such an interesting book.

Eliot Schrefer's The School for Dangerous Girls Official Page