"Big Mouth, Ugly Girl" Critique

I have an uncanny way of relating to just about anything I read (maybe that's not really that uncommon, but I find it weird).  Perhaps this is an indication that I'm self-absorbed, or boring because I'm too relateable, or because I just have a need to identify with the main character in order for me to fully enjoy the book.  I think it's the last one, an unconscious thing I do in order to fully become absorbed with a book.  Or maybe, it's just an indicator of how skilled the author is that she/he can make her/his characters so easily to identify with, I'm guessing there is a combination of things going on!

That being said, I was able to relate to some of the issues the characters faced in Big Mouth Ugly Girl.  I'm sure everyone can identify with how tough high school can be and how fickle teens are when it comes to who is their friend and who is popular and who is not.  Sometimes it is hard for teens to adjust to the position on the popular latter they have been designated to by some unseen and unheard of force: the Popular Crowd.  Which in reality is just a phenomena that is relative to whomever you ask: Who are the popular students?

To deal with what Ursula sees as her being "unpopular," she creates an alter ego, Ugly Girl.  This helps her cope with not quite fitting in, something every teen undoubtedly faces and each deals with differently.  In the beginning, she is most always in her Ugly Girl state of mind, however as the story progresses and she becomes closer with Matt, she slowly begins to refer to Ugly Girl and become her less and less.  She's still there, but over time she doesn't need to be Ugly Girl anymore because she's learned to just be comfortable as herself.  An issue I had (as a soon-to-be-teacher) with Ugly Girl was how she did not necessarily listen to authority.  She wasn't intimidated by them, not saying that she should be, but I felt she lacked respect for them.  I believe that it doesn't matter whether or you like a teacher or not, they are still to be respected.  Understandably some teachers are probably not easy to get along with, but I did not like the attitude she exuded towards them.  I felt like she thought that if she didn't like what they said, then she wouldn't listen to them.  She was defiant, and that's not always an easy trait to deal with.

Matt also goes through changes.  His alter ego, Big Mouth, isn't as prominent in the story.  He really only creates him after his big mouth gets him into a lot of trouble, and he uses his alter ego to cope with the situation he has been thrust into.  Big Mouth doesn't appear much nor stay long, but he learns from that part of him and uses it as a learning experience.  Overall, the repercussions of his big mouth teach him the value of friendships (and who those true friends are) and how they can appear in the unlikeliest of places.

The progression of both characters is slow and not overtly obvious.  I really didn't think about how much they both relied on their alter egos until after I finished reading and began thinking about what I had read. 

The plot moves well, though it seemed like everything happened in such a short span of time (January-April).  Though, even though 3 months seems like a short time, it is and it isn't.  Time is a funny thing.  Things change quickly (as can be seen with how Matt's life changes over night).  And time only really feels like it has gone quickly when we look back and wonder where it has gone, but in the moment time seems like an infinite thing. 

The premise of the story is also very interesting.  School shootings and bomb threats are too common in today's world.  During my Junior and Senior year of high school it seemed like there was an evacuation for a bomb threat at least once every other month.  It was maddening, and as a student I got annoyed.  It was childish and disruptive, and it was scary.  I think this book would definitely foster lots of good discussions about school shootings and bombings and just the culture of high school students now-a-days.  I also think it would be interesting to explore conversations on teacher-student relations and who was right or wrong in the situation with Matt and the bomb threat. 

Another issue from the book that could be explored through activities and discussions is popularity, but also friendship.  These are some questions I might ask my students:

• What would you have done if you were Matt's friend?
• Did you think it was right that his friends abandoned him?
• Why do you think his friends acted the way they did?
• What makes Ursula different from them, that she could stand up for the truth and for Matt?
• What would you have done if you were Matt?  How would you react to your friends if they did what his friends did?

In high school I experienced a similar situation (no, I did not threaten to blow up my school) but I was in a situation that some of my friends could not handle, or did not want to be a part of and I suddenly found myself alone.  However, like Matt, I found that some people suddenly became very supportive and stuck with me through it all.  Funnily enough, after my ordeal was over with (which was about three months) I received some emails from these friends apologizing for their behavior.  

Overall, the book was very good, which I feel slightly uncreative saying since I feel like I say that about every book I read.  However, it's all relative and subjective and I can count (maybe just on one hand, though) a few books that I did not like whatsoever, that I have read throughout my 23 years.