The School For Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer (Review by Viola)

Okay, I'm starting off with a disclaimer on this one: The following review is about a book quite similar to Shelter Me, the last book I reviewed, so if you weren't into that book, you probably won't like this one.

Well, I recently got a hold of The School for Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer, and as usual I read the book in a block of a few hours, refusing to engage in any communication with the outside world. I'm pretty excited that I haven't run into any not-so-great books recently.

This particular one sparked my interest with the whole 'Dangerous Girl' thing because I can to some extent relate. Angela Cardenas is the typical bad girl who gets way too involved with the wrong guys (*cough* older guys *cough*) and makes various other mistakes including something pretty close to murder.

Needless to say her parents have had enough and off she goes to reform school. Orientation is horrible, and one by one girls are being called away, leaving no traces of their existence behind. Soon, Angela is named, but to her surprise she's greeted with an actual school, better housing, and is reunited with a close friend, Carmen. However Juin, another acquaintance who seems to have become Queen over the girls, never reappears along with several other girls.

***SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD***

As difficult as it is to believe, Angela has been classified as a girl who will be able to improve and is a member of the 'Gold Thread'; the few girls who never come back are part of the 'Purple Thread.' Orientation for the Gold Thread members is quite like a birthday party compared to that of the Purple Thread. As good as the accommodations are for the Gold Thread members, that's how bad they are for the Purple thread members.

Angela eventually is placed with the Purple Thread girls. Their living conditions are absolutely atrocious and cause injury and death to many residents of the small, dank basement, until the girls decide that enough is enough.

***SLIGHT SPOILERS FINISHED***

I tried to be briefer with this review and to give a little less detail, though I seem to have failed miserably. I overall enjoyed the book, and the characters were well-developed. There were some points in the book where things got pretty unusual, which I personally don't mind too much, but others might find it difficult to digest. This is a decent read, so when you get the chance, pick it up- especially if you enjoyed or are hoping to read Shelter Me.

-Viola

The School For Dangerous Girls can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/School-Dangerous-Girls-Eliot-Schrefer/dp/0545035287/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232850652&sr=8-1