Status
Available
Collection
Genres
Publication
Candlewick (2015), Edition: Reprint, 224 pages
Description
Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML: A 2015 Schneider Family Book Award Winner With gentle humor and unflinching realism, Gail Giles tells the gritty, ultimately hopeful story of two special ed teenagers entering the adult world. We understand stuff. We just learn it slow. And most of what we understand is that people what ain't Speddies think we too stupid to get out our own way. And that makes me mad. Quincy and Biddy are both graduates of their high school's special ed program, but they couldn't be more different: suspicious Quincy faces the world with her fists up, while gentle Biddy is frightened to step outside her front door. When they're thrown together as roommates in their first "real world" apartment, it initially seems to be an uneasy fit. But as Biddy's past resurfaces and Quincy faces a harrowing experience that no one should have to go through alone, the two of them realize that they might have more in common than they thought �?? and more important, that they might be able to help each other move forward. Hard-hitting and compassionate, Girls Like Us is a story about growing up in a world that can be cruel, and finding the strength �?? and the support �?? to carry… (more)
Awards
National Book Award (Longlist — Young People's Literature — 2014)
Oregon Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2017)
Arkansas Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2016)
Virginia Readers' Choice (Nominee — High School — 2017)
Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers (Nominee — 2016)
Schneider Family Book Award (Winner — Teen — 2015)
In the Margins Official List (Fiction — 2015)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2015)
Tayshas High School Reading List (Top Ten — 2015)
Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 (Selection — 2015)
Young Adult Favorites Award (2015)
OYAN Book Rave (2015)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2014-05-27
Physical description
224 p.; 7.75 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member lilibrarian
After Biddy and Quincy, two special education students with no functioning families, graduate high school they are sent to live with an elderly woman who needs assistance. Quincy cooks and works in a local supermarket. Biddy cleans and assists with personal tasks. Sharing a small apartment above
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the garage, they discover they have a lot in common after a vicious attack. Show Less
LibraryThing member mamzel
This story is told alternately by two girls, graduating from high school and the special ed program. They are given a place to share above the garage of a wealthy woman. One of the girls has a job to clean and take care of the woman and the other girl works in the bakery department of a
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supermarket. The reader is given insight to the fears and struggles of girls deserted by family, preyed upon by able bodied perverts, and slow to accept friendship and love without fear of rejection or betrayal. Show Less
LibraryThing member EdGoldberg
Biddy and Quincy are Special Ed girls who just graduated high school. They were each given a job and a place to live…together. Biddy is obese and can’t read. She also has a ‘reputation with the boys’. Quincy has brain and facial damage from being hit in the head with a brick when she was
They will live in a separate cottage on the grounds of sixty-plus year old Miss Lizzy. Biddy will help with cooking and cleaning while Quincy has a job at the local bakery.
Girls Like Us by Gail Giles is a heart-warming story of intergenerational bonding. No one is perfect in this story, including Miss Lizzy. But they all adapt to less-than-perfect circumstances. Told in alternating chapters by Biddy and Quincy, they each have distinct voices. They each learn a little bit about the other and learn, to some extent, to stand in the others’ shoes. You will come to love these girls. They have big hearts and a lot of gumption.DeadGirls
My only other Gail Giles book is Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters. What a great psychological thriller.
So, here are two books to put on your summer reading list.
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little, by her mother’s boyfriend. Not the best of pairings, according to each of them.They will live in a separate cottage on the grounds of sixty-plus year old Miss Lizzy. Biddy will help with cooking and cleaning while Quincy has a job at the local bakery.
Girls Like Us by Gail Giles is a heart-warming story of intergenerational bonding. No one is perfect in this story, including Miss Lizzy. But they all adapt to less-than-perfect circumstances. Told in alternating chapters by Biddy and Quincy, they each have distinct voices. They each learn a little bit about the other and learn, to some extent, to stand in the others’ shoes. You will come to love these girls. They have big hearts and a lot of gumption.DeadGirls
My only other Gail Giles book is Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters. What a great psychological thriller.
So, here are two books to put on your summer reading list.
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LibraryThing member pataustin
This winner of the Schneider award that champions the stories of its two mentally challenged protagonists conveys the power of kindness to make changes in the world and the power of kindness to breed kindness in others.
LibraryThing member foggidawn
Biddy and Quincy are both in the Special Ed program at school, but that doesn't mean that they have anything in common. When their social worker arranges for the two of them to live together after graduation, both girls have their doubts, but they will soon learn that they can be stronger together
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than they were on their own. This is a skillfully written book with a lot of heart. Biddy and Quincy's struggles are touching and relatable, and there are surprising flashes of humor as well. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jessie_Bear
Following graduation from their high school’s special education program, Biddy and Quincy share an apartment and face traumatic events together as they launch the next chapter in their lives. Biddy and Quincy’s narratives are a fresh, honest, painful, and necessary addition to the canon of
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young adult literature. Giles uses alternating first person narration to capture Biddy and Quincy’s unique voices, immersing the reader in a world view likely different from their own. It is impossible to read Girls Like Us and not feel empathy for both main characters, who both read very believably and evolve throughout the story. Girls Like Us is a short novel with a big impact and will leave its readers with a fuller view of the world and people in general. Topics covered range from in-school bullying, to broken families, to rape, making this novel geared towards older readers. With at least one tissue on hand, Girls Like Us is very highly recommended for readers ages fourteen and up. Show Less
LibraryThing member GEMaguire
The story of Quincy and Biddy graduates of the local high school’s special ed program. Place together in a "real world" apartment, these two are the odd couple. Quincy is ferocious with a chip on her shoulder and Biddy frightened and afraid to step outside the house. Eventually, the two girls
Grades: 7-12
Classroom use: Coming of Age, acceptance, friendship, tolerance,
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realize they have similarities and can support and assist each other in adjusting and becoming part of the "real world". Depicts challenges faced because of their disabilities.Grades: 7-12
Classroom use: Coming of Age, acceptance, friendship, tolerance,
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LibraryThing member AbbieLauren2018
This follows two girls named Biddy and Quincy who have disabilities. These “spedies” eventually end up having to become roomates. I actually really enjoyed this book. I thought Gail gave a voice to those who usually don’t have a voice. I understand why it has such negative reviews but it
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really makes you think and appreciate the work of Gail Giles. Show Less
LibraryThing member christinegrabowski
I absolutely loved this book. It was so different from any other book I've read. I'm also assuming the author did her work on researching girls with the mental problems Biddy and Quincy had to portray them accurately. Another note, I listened to this on audiobook. I'd imagine if I read it, it may
As a mother, one thing to note is the book dealt with rape and pre-teenage pregnancy and how some people are taken advantage of because they are perceived as "dumb". Just something to be aware of as these are pretty intense topics and might be unfamiliar to teen readers. But I came away with how well the characters handled their situations and leaned on each other.
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have taken a couple of chapters to get comfortable for their different speech patterns. But in audio I did't have to worry about it. The two girls were so different with completely different voices. The book made me want to cry and then on the next paragraph want to laugh. Both girls had graduate high school as special needs kids. Biddy was often seen as a fat white trash girl with a reputation for being easy with boys. Quincy was a mixed-up race foster kid who had been hit with a brick when she was younger. Their stories were so sad. But the book itself was amazing. The story was really about acceptance and friendship and helping each other out. The girls (and the woman who had hired them) also learned a lot about not assuming the person on the inside is the same as the person on the outside or what is said of someone else.As a mother, one thing to note is the book dealt with rape and pre-teenage pregnancy and how some people are taken advantage of because they are perceived as "dumb". Just something to be aware of as these are pretty intense topics and might be unfamiliar to teen readers. But I came away with how well the characters handled their situations and leaned on each other.
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LibraryThing member aratiel
Great character studies with lots of development and growth. Realistic and gritty without being too depressing. Made me tear up towards the end. There were a few questions I would've liked answered, plotwise, though: what was it that caused Miss Lizzy's ailments at such a relatively young age? Was
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Robert ever brought to justice? I also would have enjoyed seeing more positive interactions between Biddy and Stephen, or Biddy and the feed store man. Show Less
LibraryThing member mjspear
Quincy and Biddy are "Speddies": special ed students who are placed, post graduation, to live together independently. Other than their "speddie" label, the girls are very different. Quincy was normal at birth but brain injured by her mother's boyfriend. Biddy is cognitively impaired as a result of
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birth trauma. Quincy has a chip on her shoulder and is "mean" all of the time (sometimes not knowing why). Biddy is sweet but afraid of men. Miss "Lisabeth" is their "boss" for whom they cook and clean in exchange for living in her carriage house. Slowly, the girls mature and learn to live together. The dialogue is realistic and the character growth palpable. The character of "Lisabeth" is well drawn as an adult who wants to do the right thing but missteps at times. Sadly, both girls suffer traumatic sexual abuse. (The under-riding message seems to be that impaired girls are at risk for this; however true this may be, it perpetuates the notions of victimization and danger. All of the "tea" and "hugs" in the world can't dispel this.) If the reader can get past that, this is an uplifting, important story. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kristelh
Finished [Girls Like Us] by Gail Giles which was a free audio from the AudioSync Summer Program in 2018. I really enjoyed this young adult story that covers issues of special ed, abuse, foster care and resiliency.
LibraryThing member ToniFGMAMTC
I don't have a lot of experience with intellectual disabilities so this was good for me. It's from the POV of 2 girls. Both have disabilities of varying degrees. Definitely pulled on my emotions.
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Pages
224