I love this book for a variety of reasons.....it's funny, it's real and it's one of the few Pakistani lead characters in YA lit. Nina is smart, but dorky (boy can I identify with that one). She is also the little sis of a certified genius, which makes school difficult (which, though I am no genius, my younger sister always complained about following me and the expectations that go with). I also love that Nina has problems with her family, but loves them. She's not fighting against her Pakistani heritage or her Muslim mores, she's just trying to fit them in with her own view of life (which is what ALL teens do regardless of upbringing or religion). She's called skunk girl, because she has (to her horror) a stripe of hair going all the way down her back. Luckily the only one who has seen this is the cute boy she likes.......which is also humiliating (who wants a guy to know how hairy you are?). Lovelovelove this book.......try it, you might too! Will recommend it for 15+I thought Sheba explored the identity bit from a different POV. I am so used to the Jumpha Lahiri style of ABCD, you are a misfit and will always be style, after a point it gets boring.What I liked abt Skunk Girl is that it was optimistic, it is not just the second generation factor that makes some children feel like misfits, but it is often wanting more responsibility to just come knocking without the initiative that goes with it.I feel that to some extent children in India also need the same lesson - Not doing things because they want to fit in, but to internalize the meaning and do it without losing sight of one's priorities.I liked the fact that the teenagers are portrayed as teenagers, no extreme back stabbing.
