| The Flava
Girls vs. the Principle: the Synopsis
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“The Flava
Girls vs. the Principal” is the first in the Flava Girls Series. It is a
story about four teenage friends who set out to fight the unfair
new dress code at their suburban high school. Based on what has
happened at other schools, Principal McHuffenstuff fears gangs will take
over Adelphi Hiller High. He announces that kids can’t wear baggy clothes,
big chains or braids and cornrows, all of which he thinks are trademarks
of gang-bangers. The girls, who love the versatility of their natural
hair, are especially disappointed about having their hairstyles
restricted. They run for class offices in an attempt to gain the support
of their peers and overturn the
dress code. The
stylish, fun, attractive girls who weren’t so popular at first gain
recognition taking on administration. They even start their own clothing
line in defiance. All the kids want their Flavors of Us tees because they
promote flair and individuality. As they lobby for the rights of the
entire student body, the girls gain friends among all the different
cliques –the hip hop kids, the punk rockers, the athletes, etc. They are having loads of fun as politicians and glamour girls when suddenly they are faced with issues that will test their maturity, confidence and the friendship. The Flava Girls find themselves dealing with pregnancy, depression and whether to dance at an exotic club. It’s been proven the girls have lots of flavor, but do they have substance? The self-proclaimed “fashionsistas” include Imani Davis, who is the wisest and the most studious. She is a business-minded girl who is sure to get rich before she’s 25. There is peppy Kimeon Cruz who breathes, sleeps and dreams “dance.” She sees herself as a celebrated member of the Alvin Ailey Dance Troupe and feels she’ll get there by any means necessary. Fun-loving Layla Maddox is the most boy-crazy of all the girls. Her blog tells the world that her hobbies include “talking to boyz, looking at boyz, going out wit boyz and all dat has to do wit boyz? The book is narrated by Taylor Simone Freeman who is very smart, often shy, sometimes funny, sometimes a smart-aleck. Taylor is in a tug-of-war with her parents for control in her life. At times she refers to her mom as “Smother,” because she is overbearing and her dad as “Dud,” because he’s basically useless in her defense. Taylor’s mother accuses her of “smelling herself,” her old-fashioned way of saying Taylor is trying to grow up too fast. Despite it all, the family’s love is unwavering. “Flava Girls” shows the strength of everyday, upwardly mobile teen girls. It shows that sometimes girls give in to peer pressure but many times they do not. It illustrates how at 15- to 17-years-old, many girls have healthy self-esteem and can pretty much take on whatever challenges come their way. “Flava Girls” is a moving story and it is funny and light-hearted as well. |
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