My Tiki Girl

My Tiki Girl by Jennifer McMahon is about healing and first love. After a car crash that killed her mother, Maggie Keller is a different person. She is no longer the popular, happy girl she was BTA (before the accident). Now a sophomore in high school, there is no one she would call a friend.

When she notices a new girl who sits by her self at lunch, Maggie thinks maybe she has found someone who will see her and not either the girl she used to be or the Frankenstein girl she feels like because of her limp.

Dahlia and Maggie become friends instantly. Dahlia lives with her brother and mom. Her mother has spent time in an institution but refuses to take her medicine. When she does, the dolls stop talking to her. The family's course is set by what the dolls tell her mother. Each member of the family has a doll who represents their true selves. Dahlia is a Tiki Girl. When Maggie joins their lives, she gets a doll and becomes LaSamba.

Maggie is thrilled to have this change in her life. Although she knows it is odd, she goes along with the fun. The guilt that consumed her about the car crash that killed her mother is no longer her main train of thought. She spends all of her time with Dahlia and family. It isn't too long before she begins to notice that she has fallen in love with Dahlia. Though she tries to deny it at first, she realizes there is no lying to herself about her feelings. But does Dahlia feel the same way about her?

When Dahlia wants to start a band and invites a popular boy to be the guitarist, Maggie is jealous. She doesn't want to share Dahlia - especially with someone she knows is a jerk. She keeps her feelings to herself until she sees Troy and Dahlia kiss. When she confronts Dahlia, how will Dahlia react?

McMahon has written a book that captures the feelings of being a teen who realizes she is different. The book embraces difference without ignoring the usual reactions from others. Overall an accurate portrayal.

McMahon, Jennifer. (2008). My Tiki Girl. New York: Dutton Books.