Mikey and Margolo are best friends, and both want to know about love-relationships-sex. However, neither get invited to parties, where these things are best learned about. Relying on hearsay from their friends and classmates, both girls seek to “fill-in-the-blanks” about dating and male female relationships by pumping their friends for information.
While Margolo keeps her first crush (on a teacher) secret, Mikey announces her first crush (on the star of the school play) to the entire school by behaving like a love- sick puppy. Going into a stupor at the sight of her love interest, Shawn Macavity, Mikey brings him cookies, follows him around campus, and generally pursues him outright.
Much of the book involves the verbal banter and good natured bickering common to the middle school age bracket, some of which is truly funny. However, the underlying premise of the book is more thoughtful. Both Mikey and Margolo seek to successfully navigate the complicated social world of middle school, in which teens attempt to cope with changing bodies and sometimes intense emotions.
While the dialog becomes somewhat tedious, middle school readers will probably find it fascinating, since it deals with subjects they desperately want to learn about. The book describes aome of the information they seek, without being too explicit. Although the characters do gossip a bit about each other, none of it appears to be mean spirited.
Reminiscent of such teen films as “Sixteen Candles” and “The Breakfast Club,” Bad Girls in Love is a teen Romance novel that explores the concept of romantic love without being sappy or depressing. This book is a good choice for middle school library collections. ( )