Re-Virginized

The Second Virginity of Suzy Green, By Sara Hantz

Aussie teen Suzy Green likes to have fun, and she’s always been the life of the party. Grades, school - both thing her parents are concerned with - usually come in a distant second to what Suzy wants, which is not to be bored out of her socks by stupid teachers and dumb rules. Life’s short, right? If you only live once, why not have fun?

But Suzy’s carefree mindset changes when her sister Rosie dies in an accident.
Suddenly Suzy feels like her party attitude is the last thing her parents need. When her father accepts a transfer to another city for a year, Suzy jumps at the chance to change. She’ll make good grades. She’ll wear clothes with a bit more color than her goth threads. She’ll take out her tongue piercing and be good. She’ll pretend she’s… more like Rosie.

After all, isn’t Suzy being more like Rosie what her parents want?

It’s hard to turn off her old thoughts and attitudes and smother herself beneath a layer of sunny sweetness. It’s hard not to resent her mother for wanting her to be someone else. It’s hard to keep her mouth shut, and not say the wrong thing to her new friends; sporty Lori and gorgeous Guy, even though they wouldn’t be caught dead with the real Suzy Green.

But it’s easy to join the virginity club all her new friends are part of. Even though she’s not eligible to join the club, it’s not like anybody in this town will ever find out, right? So it doesn’t matter if she takes the vows…
Right?

The past and the present collide in this unique first novel by Sara Hantz. As Suzy discovers, maybe you can’t start over again with some things, but owning up to what you’ve done and who you are – while making room for who you want to be -- is entirely possible.

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This review was first published in the January '08 Edge of the Forest Children's Literature Monthly.