Girls Like Us

Quincy and Biddy are not your average teenagers. Both are "Speddies," or special education students and they are graduating high school. Prior to graduation they find out that they will be roommates. With no plans or place to go their caseworker sets them up with an apartemnt and jobs.  The girls are very different, which leads to challenges. Quincy is guarded, angry, and keeps others at a distant. While, Biddy is fearful, emotional, and kind. Quincy understands more of the world and Biddy retains a child-like innocence. In this character-driven story,the girls must now learn to navigate life together in the adult world. A world that can be both kind and cruel. Cruelness they know well, but kindness is something they will have to learn. In alternating chapters, each character relates events in their own voice. It creates an intimate connection to the character and it is impossible not to want the girls to succeed. In a dialect-rich style, Giles, a former special education teacher, creates a story that is heart wrenching and moving. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy realistic teen fiction and books about people with special needs.