Mandy The Outsider

Mandy shuddered inwardly and wanted to drop through the floor. Sure enough, when school was dismissed and the students filled the halls, she heard the mocking voices behind her, “Fine job, Mandy Einstein. Fine, fine job. We’re so, so proud of you.”

Mandy was sure she was going to die right there in the front hall of Queen Anne School!

Book: Mandy the Outsider: Prelude to World War 2 (Sisters in Time Book 22) by Norma Jean Lutz, Barbour Publishers, 2004

Genre: Historical Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 9-15

Subjects: Racism/Prejudice, Bullying, Identity, Showing Love

Summary: A move up in the world is a move down as far as Mandy is concerned. They left their familiar neighborhood, their school, all her friends. Now she’s stuck attending a school for stuck up children. At least that’s how it seems. The Golden Ring, a group of girls in Mandy’s class, make it a point to insult and mock anyone not in their little circle. First there’s Helga, a girl with physical differences. The Golden Ring tears at her every chance they get. Then there’s Mandy, a very smart girl who can get perfect grades on her schoolwork and quickly becomes good friends with the school librarian. The others make fun of her for this until Mandy finds herself intentionally doing poorly on her schoolwork just to get them to leave her alone. When she tries to go visit her friends she can’t even find peace there though. Her friends are Japanese and the country is becoming increasingly intolerant of anyone whose family is related to the soldiers terrorizing those on the other side of the ocean. So even here, the evil of the world is creeping in and stealing her peace. Will Mandy ever find a place to belong?

Notes: Mandy The Outsider is the twenty-second in the Sisters-In-Time series. This series features young girls living at various key points in American history, particularly around the wars. It always places the girls right at the edge of the teen years, coming of age.  The concept of the series it to not only show a glimpse of history, but to help young girls feel that the people back then weren’t that different than the people today.

Rosa Takes A Chance is set in 1939 during the time of the start of World War II. It focuses a lot on ordinary, every day life for a young girl in that time. It does focus as well on the anti-Japanese sentiment that ran rampart through the country when the Japanese start making war on other nations. The spiritual element is on showing love and kindness to others, even when they don’t return it. After a sermon in church, Mandy asks God to help her be good to the girls who are mocking her at school. Then later she reaches out to the other girl who is bullied but who refuses to respond to any kindness.    

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

James 2:8 - If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.