Zusammenfassung non big mouth ugly girl

Believable, full-blooded characters propel Oates's first YA novel past some plotting that doesn't quite add up. Ursula Riggs, a high school junior, has adopted a stance of invincible indifference ("Since that day I woke up and knew I wasn't an ugly girl, I was Ugly Girl"). Against her mother's wishes, she leaps to her classmate Matt Donaghy's defense when his throwaway joke about blowing up the school makes him a suspected terrorist, but then rebuffs Matt's overtures to friendship. Told in alternating perspectives (Ursula's in first-person and Matt's in third), the novel intensifies even though Matt is quickly exonerated. Matt's friends ice him out, citing pressure from their parents, and his family receives hate mail. When Matt's family files suit against the school and his accusers, the hostilities escalate, and Matt nearly attempts suicide. In turn, Matt helps Ursula realize that her Ugly Girl persona "wasn't right for all occasions." The weak spots here have to do with the villains (including the students who reported Matt's "joke" and those who bully him); they are barely developed, and stereotypes seem to have taken the place of their motivation. But the relationship between Ursula and Matt grows, credibly and compellingly, against a convincing high school backdrop. Readers will relate to the pressures these two experience, both at school and from their parents, and be gratified by their ability to emerge the wiser. Ages 13-up. Im Hexenkessel der Hysterie - Provozierend aktuell! Niemals wäre Matt auf die absurde Idee gekommen, ein Attentat auf seine Schule zu verüben. Und doch soll es Zeugen geben, die schwören, er habe damit gedroht. Matt steht unter Verdacht. Und wie es scheint, gibt es nur einen Menschen an der Schule, der ihm glaubt: Ursula Riggs, die Unnahbare, die Jungen sonst aus dem Weg geht, so gut sie kann. Sind denn alle verrückt geworden?