This here is great book and it is ONLY for GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!! ( )

this book is brilliant it is good for people who are 7+.It is for that age because it is a really sad story behind it but it still has a happy ending. It won't get boring,in fact you won't want to stop reading it. There is two possible happy endings to it but the one in the book is the best one.You should read it.the begining could be boring but it gets better. ( )

I have to confess I picked this book up out of desperation. I'd been reading Lionboy for my Chatterbooks group, but I couldn't get enough copies of it. I needed a book I could get 6 copies of in two days, and there were two on the shelf in our branch. A quick check showed four more on shelves in nearby branches, so I put in an urgent request.
I don't like giving out books to the group without having read them first, in case they aren't really suitable. My immediate reservation was highlighted when the boys declared 'but this is a girl's book!'
Having read the book, I'm not sure I'd have chosen it for the group. The theme is a bit 'adult' for the majority of the members. I'd almost put it as a teen title, were it not for the
SPOILER ALERT
happy ending.

It will make for some good discussions though. Not least of which being whether or not it is really a 'girly' book. Would the story really be all that different if the protagonist were Gabriel, not Gabrielle? And the issues raised are ones that young children need to be aware of.

All in all, I'm really glad I stumbled on this one. ( )