The Sound of Your Voice, Only Really Far Away

 By: Kathy    6:56 PM     3 comments

 

Author: Frances O'Roark Dowell

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Release Date: 8/27/2013

Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the conclusion to the bestselling Secret Language of Girls trilogy, Marylin and Kate find that boys can be just as complicated as friendship.Marylin knows that, as a middle school cheerleader, she has certain obligations. She has to smile as she walks down the hall, be friends with the right people, and keep her manicure in tip-top shape. But Marylin is surprised to learn there are also rules about whom she’s allowed to like—and Benjamin, the student body president, is deemed unnacceptable. But maybe there is a way to convince the cheerleaders that her interest in Benjamin is for their own good—maybe she’ll pretend that she’s using him to get new cheerleading uniforms!

Kate, of course, finds this ludicrous. She is going to like whom she likes, thank you very much. And she just so happens to be spending more time than ever with Matthew Holler. But even a girl who marches to the beat of her own guitar strings can play the wrong notes—and are she and Matthew even playing the same song? She’s just not sure. So when Matthew tells Kate that the school’s Audio Lab needs funding from the student government, she decides to do what she can to help him get it.

But there isn’t enough money to go around, and it soon becomes clear that only one of the two girls can get her way. Ultimately, though, is it even her way? Or are both girls pushing for something they never really wanted in the first place?

My Thoughts:

I think this book was absolutely adorable! It really explored friendship and the difference between healthy friendships and unhealthy friendships. From the first book in the trilogy to the third book in the trilogy, the readers are extremely connected to the characters. The author did a great job conveying the emotions that Marylin and Kate were experiencing. I did, however, wish that there was more of an interaction between Marylin and Kate (Marylin's previous best friend), as well as Marylin and Rhetta (Marylin's new best friend). This was generally a cute read, of which I would recommend to 6th graders and up.