Sixteen-year-old Nina Faye navigates the difficult world of teenage relationships and dysfunctional family dynamics.
A 2017 National Book Award for Young People's Literature Finalist
When Nina Faye was fourteen, her mother told her there was no such thing as unconditional love. Nina believed her. Now she'll do anything for the boy she loves, to prove she's worthy of him. But when he breaks up with her, Nina is lost. What is she if not a girlfriend? What is she made of? Broken-hearted, Nina tries to figure out what the conditions of love are.
"Finally, finally, a book that is fully girl, with all of the gore and grace of growing up female exposed." —Carrie Mesrobian, author of the William C. Morris finalist, Sex & Violence
Best Fiction for Young Adults Top Ten Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year ILA Young Adults' Choices Kirkus Best Teen Books of the Year School Library Journal Best Book Golden Kite Award Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices Amelia Bloomer Project List New York Public Library Best Books for Teens Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books
“"We think we know what girls are made of. But not always. And Elana K. Arnold removes the veilwhich is as gory as often as it is gauzy. What Girls Are Made Of shows the true, beautiful, and confounding complexity of women. This one will rip your heart out." Martha Brockenbrough, author of The Game Of Love and Death”
"Arnold interweaves myriad landscapes . . . into a narrative wholeness that is greater than its parts. Unflinchingly candid, unapologetically girl, and devastatingly vital."—starred, Kirkus Reviews
"[H]arsh and beautiful, distant and immediate, furious and anguished."—Leila Roy, Kirkus Reviews Blog
"Pair this with McGinnis' The Female of the Species for a nuanced look at the complications of girlhood."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"[D]escribes all things 'girl' in the brutally honest way. . . . Teen girls should read this book, even if it is not easy."—VOYA
"Smart, true, and devastating, this is brutally, necessarily forthcoming about the crags of teen courtship."—Booklist
"The author presents a hopeful conclusion as Nina learns that self-love and fulfillment can be found through helping others. Because of its complex symbolism and graphic imagery, this well-written novel is best suited to mature YA readers."—School Library Journal
"Stunning in its honesty and depth, What Girls Are Made Of unapologetically examines the strength, determination, and vulnerability of girls. This book is for anyone who is a girl, was a girl, or wishes to glimpse the interwoven beauty and pain that comes with being a girl. With gorgeously spare prose, Elana K. Arnold has created a masterpiece that is sure to live long in the memory of readers."—Brandy Colbert, author of the Cybils Award-winner Pointe
"Finally, finally, a book that is fully girl, with all of the gore and grace of growing up female exposed. Arnold's gorgeous prose takes us to all sorts of places to show us what girls are made of: a high-kill animal shelter, an abortion clinic, a bridge to nowhere that adventure seekers bungee-jump from, and all the way to Italy, to the sites of classical and religious art, where our narrator Nina learns the sacred tradition of how stories are told via the contortion and pain of a woman's body. If you're looking to enter the mind of a girl navigating sex, love, and her own physicality, look no further than What Girls Are Made Of." —Carrie Mesrobian, author of the William C. Morris finalist Sex & Violence
"Beautifully written and evocative, What Girls Are Made Of fearlessly examines the courage and struggle of being a teenage girl in the modern world. With a deft hand, Elana K. Arnold opens up a conversation about how girls survive as a whole when they are too often acknowledged only for their parts."—Christa Desir, author of Other Broken Things
"We think we know what girls are made of. But not always. And Elana K. Arnold removes the veil—which is as gory as often as it is gauzy. What Girls Are Made Of shows the true, beautiful, and confounding complexity of women. This one will rip your heart out."— Martha Brockenbrough, author of The Game Of Love and Death
Elana K. Arnold is the author of several books for young readers. She lives in Huntington Beach, California, with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of animals.
This item is eligible for simple returns within 30 days of delivery. Return shipping is the responsibility of the customer. See our returns policy for further details.
