Girls Out Late

Publishers Weekly

In this final title of her Girls trilogy, Ella goes ga-ga over a new boy, but when she breaks her curfew to meet up with him, her plan backfires. Ages 12-up. (June) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Ellie, a form nine student, has two best friends, Nadine and Magda. These girls are inseparable until Ellie meets Russell, the artist boyfriend of her dreams. Through a variety of miscommunications and dating disasters Ellie manages to balance her obligations to her friends, parents and Russell. On a girls' night out the friends make a bad decision that ends up putting in real trouble. They meet up with a group of boys in an Indie band who invite them back to their flat to party. The girls escape from the too-wild party and manage to make their way home with the assistance of a cabbie and their art teacher. This is a British book published in 1999 and recently released in North America. The language can be difficult to understand, for example, Form nine vs. grade 9, but the experiences that the girls have are not hard to understand. Ellie learns how to be responsible and respectful to her friends and family, and attempts to love herself. The book is obviously trying to get the message across that a teenager needs to tell her parents where they are and who they are with. The overly didactic tone detracts from the interesting storyline, and might put off a young reader. Nevertheless, the characters are believable and have real problems. Ellie is recovering from anorexia, Nadine from an abusive relationship, and Magda has a crush on her art teacher. They help each other cope with life's trials successfully. 2003, Random House Inc,
— Jennifer-Lynn Draper

KLIATT

To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, September 2002: This series, Girls Quartet, is like a British version of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Alice series. Here the protagonist is hot-tempered Ellie, who in the first book Girls in Love is just starting ninth grade. She lives with her father, her stepmother, and her younger brother Eggs; she has two best friends, Magda and Nadine; and she dreams of becoming a graphic artist. Like Naylor, Wilson deals with the road bumps of adolescence with insight and humor. In Book 2, Girls Under Pressure, Ellie decides she is fat, and starts to starve herself. In the end, visiting a friend with anorexia, she realizes how dangerous her current course is. In Book 3, Girls Out Late, Ellie meets Russell, who is interested in art just like she is, and she narrowly escapes serious trouble when she stays out late with friends. Gossipy and realistic, addressing serious issues as well as clothes and crushes, this series, though somewhat predictable, will appeal to younger girls. The British slang shouldn't pose much of a problem for American readers. (Girls Quartet: Book 3). KLIATT Codes: J—Recommended for junior high school students. 2002, Random House, Dell, Laurel-Leaf, 214p.,
— Paula Rohrlick

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-In the third book in the series, Ellie, 13, meets the boy of her dreams and learns that love isn't always what makes the world go round. Her feelings for Russell cause her to make some wrong choices and the consequences make her miserable. Then, Ellie and her two best friends, Nadine and Magda, get tickets to a rock concert, but their plans for a girls' night out fall apart when the concert is cancelled. They wind up in a strange house in a dangerous part of London with some shady boys who want them to drink, smoke dope, and make out. The girls escape, but not without taking risks that could have cost them their lives. The teens continually lie to their parents to cover up where they are and with whom, and when they get caught, they do not take their punishment seriously. They show disrespect to their parents, teachers, and other students in the pursuit of what they want and, for the most part, they get it. However, the author does a good job portraying the angst of teen love and the importance of best friends. This formula teen romance, complete with British slang and lingo, will be a popular, quick read, but there is not much depth of character or plot.-Susan Geye, Crowley Ninth Grade Campus, TX Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.