M-E Girard

All Pen wants is to be the kind of girl she’s always been. So why does everyone have a problem with it? They think the way she looks and acts means she’s trying to be a boy—that she should quit trying to be something she’s not. If she dresses like a girl, and does what her folks want, it will show respect. If she takes orders and does what her friend Colby wants, it will show her loyalty. But respect and loyalty, Pen discovers, are empty words. Old-world parents, disintegrating friendships, and strong feelings for other girls drive Pen to see the truth—that in order to be who she truly wants to be, she’ll have to man up.

Girl Mans Up

“Pen is an inspiration to anyone who’s struggled to be understood, and a vital addition to the growing world of genderqueer protagonists.” –The New York Times Book Review Lambda Literary Award Winner * Entertainment Weekly Best YA Book of 2016 * Children’s Book Council Books Best Book of 2016 * Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Coming-of-Age Novel of 2016 and Best Teen Book of 2016 with Unforgettable Protagonists * Publishers Weekly Fall 2016 Flying Starts * William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist All Pen wants is to be the kind of girl she’s always been. So why does everyone have a problem with it? They think the way she looks and acts means she’s trying to be a boy—that she should quit trying to be something she’s not. If she dresses like a girl, and does what her folks want, it will show respect. If she takes orders and does what her friend Colby wants, it will show her loyalty. But respect and loyalty, Pen discovers, are empty words. Old-world parents, disintegrating friendships, and strong feelings for other girls drive Pen to see the truth—that in order to be who she truly wants to be, she’ll have to man up. Now available in paperback, M. E. Girard’s Girl Mans Up is perfect for fans of Meredith Russo, Becky Albertalli, Alex Sanchez, and Jaye Robin Brown!

Jazelle H

“Sometimes, something really messed up has to happen to make you realize you need to man up.”

Pen has always been comfortable dressing up like a boy, playing it tough with the guys, and kicking ass at video games. She’s gay, she’s a girl, and she’s a gamer who, given the chance, will slam her nearest competitor at Mario Kart with a blue shell. Her parents, however, have never understood Pen’s version of normal, and even her best friend just doesn’t seem to get it. When Pen meets Blake--also a gamer, also a girl, and definitely winning at everything--she begins to realize that the only perception that matters is her own.

“Now, there’s nothing left that makes me a girl, except for the fact that I am one. But I guess that’s not enough."

Pen’s voice is raw, real, and rad. Despite the fortress of solitude walls we’d expect from a coming-of-age character who feels like the world is against her, Pen’s voice has a level of vulnerability that makes it very easy to relate to and care about this character. That easy-going character investment keeps readers locked and loaded while following Pen on her journey. Each of the other characters have their own unique voice (even vile Colby), as well, and that distinction reflects the reality of Pen’s situation--that people don’t act, think, or see the same way, regardless of what truths you put in front of them.

“People should just be allowed to look in the mirror and see all kinds of possibilities. Everyone should be able to feel nice when they look in the mirror. They should at least be able to see themselves reflected in there, even if they look all weird.”

The momentum of this story is powered by Pen’s internal conflict with who she is; her external conflict with her parents, who just don’t get it; and her external conflict with her would-be best friend, who thinks he gets it. Those conflicts are balanced with Pen’s relationship with her brother, new friendship, and new relationship. However, there are portions throughout the story where the momentum slows or the conflicts seem unnecessarily repetitive, which kept the story from being a real page-turner.

All in all, this story is a wonderful portrayal of a reality we all--regardless of sexual orientation or gender--have to face: That the only person who can define us for who we are is, ultimately, ourselves.

William C. Morris Award Finalist: Best Young Adult Debut of the Year All Pen wants is to be the kind of girl she’s always been. So why does everyone have a problem with it? They think the way she looks and acts means she’s trying to be a boy—that she should quit trying to be something she’s not. If she dresses like a girl, and does what her folks want, it will show respect. If she takes orders and does what her friend Colby wants, it will show her loyalty. But respect and loyalty, Pen discovers, are empty words. Old-world parents, disintegrating friendships, and strong feelings for other girls drive Pen to see the truth—that in order to be who she truly wants to be, she’ll have to man up.

jess

I feel like Girl Mans Up was a very interesting exploration of gender and sexuality that I did like reading about. However, I also felt really frustrated with the treatment of conventional girls and women throughout the novel and did think that it was misogynistic at times, something I don't think should be excused because Pen is a girl. 

Pen was massively cool, though. Her character development throughout the novel was really nice, and I'm glad she learned a lot more about herself in the process. I did not like how she treated a lot of girls, though; it was really frustrating to see her constantly put things down because they're traditionally girly, and this was never addressed as well as I wanted it to be. I like that she did find respect for girls like Olivia, but I felt like Pen treated girls as weak and emotional. I know this has a lot to do with her group of friends at the beginning of the book. Like Colby. I don't think I've ever despised a book character that much in a while. But I loved Olivia a lot; she was so strong and determined throughout her whole ordeal. The romance between Blake and Pen was really cute. And this is really nerdy, but Pen's little diversion about The Last of Us game got my heart racing because I love that game, I love that moment, I love Ellie, and I love that the game has definitely sang to the hearts of sapphic girls and women. 

Pen's family was ... interesting. On one hand I've never read about Portuguese culture, but on the other hand I was constantly frustrated by them and it never felt like they were budging with their stance on Pen and her gender non-conformity, which I suppose was kind of the point and it definitely worked. Johnny was cool though, and I love how he unconditionally supported Pen throughout. He might in fact be my second-favourite character in this book (to Olivia). Johnny was definitely a better parent to Pen than either of their parents were. And I'm really happy that this book was set in Canada. 

Even though there were some problems with this book, I think this is still a valuable book for teen girls who find themselves in Pen's situation, and I liked reading about Pen and the people around her. 

This review and more can be found on my blog.

Hannah Derzanovich

"It's okay to feel bad about how things went down, but it's not okay to drown in guilt and regret every day for having made decisions other people don't agree with. At some point we all have to man up and decide to do what we have to do, despite the people around us who try to get in the way."

Lena

I feel like there were too many problems that were being addressed and not enough detail on any of them or any characters. I couldn't get to know Pen even though it was told from her perspective, there was no personality there.
I took ages to read this because each time I stopped, because I needed to sleep or do something else, I always forgot to come back. There was no part of me wondering what would happen next. No part of me connected to the characters and missed them when I was away.