Perfect

Spencer, Aria, Emily, Hanna and their best friend Alison were the most popular girls at Rosewood Day School. Alison was the group's ringleader, the one who knew all their darkest secrets. So when Alison vanished one night, Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna's grief was tinged with relief. But when Ali's body was later discovered in her own backyard, the girls were forced to unearth some ugly memories of their old friend, too. Is there more to Alison's death than anyone realises? Now someone named A, someone who seems to know everything, is pointing the finger for Ali's murder at one of them. And A is poised to ruin their perfect little lives . . . for ever.

Spencer, Aria, Emily, Hanna and their best friend Alison were the most popular girls at Rosewood Day School. Alison was the group's ringleader, the one who knew all their darkest secrets. So when Alison vanished one night, Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna's grief was tinged with relief. But when Ali's body was later discovered in her own backyard, the girls were forced to unearth some ugly memories of their old friend, too. Is there more to Alison's death than anyone realises? Now someone named A, someone who seems to know everything, is pointing the finger for Ali's murder at one of them. And A is poised to ruin their perfect little lives . . . for ever.

*Bank Street Best Book of the Year * Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Book of the Year * CCBC Choices Title * Oregon Spirit Book Award Honor Author Waka T. Brown and artist Yuko Jones join forces for this picture book about a young girl who learns to appreciate life’s imperfections when her grandmother teachers her about the Japanese art form kintsugi. Miki Amelia Masuda liked everything in her life to be perfect. Her room was immaculately clean. She only ate round cookies, not the broken ones. And if a stuffed animal had a tear in it, she couldn't bear to look at it. So when she accidentally drops and breaks her favorite teacup, she’s devastated. How can a broken teacup ever be perfect again? Days later, Miki's grandmother, Obaachan, presents Miki with the fixed teacup. But it’s not perfect! Each crack is highlighted by a gold streak of paint—almost as if to show off the imperfections! What follows is one girl’s journey to understanding that life isn’t always perfect. Through the art of kintsugi, Waka and Yuko show readers—and Miki—that rips, cracks, and tears have their own stories to tell, ones that are meaningful in their own way.

*Bank Street Best Book of the Year * Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Book of the Year * CCBC Choices Title * Oregon Spirit Book Award Honor Author Waka T. Brown and artist Yuko Jones join forces for this picture book about a young girl who learns to appreciate life’s imperfections when her grandmother teachers her about the Japanese art form kintsugi. Miki Amelia Masuda liked everything in her life to be perfect. Her room was immaculately clean. She only ate round cookies, not the broken ones. And if a stuffed animal had a tear in it, she couldn't bear to look at it. So when she accidentally drops and breaks her favorite teacup, she’s devastated. How can a broken teacup ever be perfect again? Days later, Miki's grandmother, Obaachan, presents Miki with the fixed teacup. But it’s not perfect! Each crack is highlighted by a gold streak of paint—almost as if to show off the imperfections! What follows is one girl’s journey to understanding that life isn’t always perfect. Through the art of kintsugi, Waka and Yuko show readers—and Miki—that rips, cracks, and tears have their own stories to tell, ones that are meaningful in their own way.

Social media is replete with images of 'perfection'. But many are unrealistic and contribute to a pervasive sense of never being good enough: not thin enough; not pretty enough; not cool enough. Try too hard and you risk being condemned for being ‘attention-seeking’, don't try hard enough and you're slacking. Rosalind Gill challenges polarized perspectives that see young women as either passive victims of social media or as savvy digital natives. She argues the real picture is far more ambivalent. Getting likes and followers and feeling connected to friends feels fantastic, but posting material and worrying about 'haters' causes significant anxieties. Gill uses young women's own words to show how they feel watched all the time; worry about getting things wrong; and struggle to live up to an ideal of being 'perfect' yet at the same time ‘real’. It's the wake-up call we all need. Also available as an audiobook.

Social media is replete with images of 'perfection'. But many are unrealistic and contribute to a pervasive sense of never being good enough: not thin enough; not pretty enough; not cool enough. Try too hard and you risk being condemned for being ‘attention-seeking’, don't try hard enough and you're slacking. Rosalind Gill challenges polarized perspectives that see young women as either passive victims of social media or as savvy digital natives. She argues the real picture is far more ambivalent. Getting likes and followers and feeling connected to friends feels fantastic, but posting material and worrying about 'haters' causes significant anxieties. Gill uses young women's own words to show how they feel watched all the time; worry about getting things wrong; and struggle to live up to an ideal of being 'perfect' yet at the same time ‘real’. It's the wake-up call we all need. Also available as an audiobook.

After years of enduring abuse and control, Alex Shearer takes her chance and runs. Determined to live life on her own terms, she escapes to a quiet town on the Oregon coast and starts over. Alex wants Theo Anderson to be part of her fresh start. Charming, attentive, and handsome, Theo seems like he's exactly what she needs. Luckily for her, Theo's already decided that Alex is his. Fresh from prison and struggling to control his impulses, Theo has been watching her for weeks. In his mind, they're already together - she just doesn't know it yet. What Theo sees as making their relationship official, Alex sees as being trapped in a connection she can't escape. As Theo sinks deeper into his obsession and Alex's grip on reality begins to blur, she fights to outmaneuver him, desperate to prevent her captivity from becoming the connection he insists it is.

After years of enduring abuse and control, Alex Shearer takes her chance and runs. Determined to live life on her own terms, she escapes to a quiet town on the Oregon coast and starts over. Alex wants Theo Anderson to be part of her fresh start. Charming, attentive, and handsome, Theo seems like he's exactly what she needs. Luckily for her, Theo's already decided that Alex is his. Fresh from prison and struggling to control his impulses, Theo has been watching her for weeks. In his mind, they're already together - she just doesn't know it yet. What Theo sees as making their relationship official, Alex sees as being trapped in a connection she can't escape. As Theo sinks deeper into his obsession and Alex's grip on reality begins to blur, she fights to outmaneuver him, desperate to prevent her captivity from becoming the connection he insists it is.