Hello, Groin - Book Review

Goobie, Beth. Hello, Groin. Orca, 2006. 271p. $14.56. 978-1551434599

When Dylan starts grade 11, she has no idea what the year will hold. She’s been dating Cam, a popular jock, and should be considered one of the “in” crowd. But when Dylan hangs out with the popular girls, she is aware that she is not like them at all. The popular girls soon nickname her “Queen Dylan”, for her hesitance to have sex with Cam. Cam is the ideal boyfriend, but Dylan is not sure she wants to continue the relationship, and surmounting feelings of confusion towards her best friend Jocelyn further complicate the matter. Wise-beyond-her-years little sister Keelie tells Dylan that she doesn’t have enough happiness in her life, and it is soon apparent that Dylan is going to have to be honest with herself about what she wants.

This is easier said than done – the groin, notes Dylan, is a very confusing part of the body. Authoritarian figures like the school principal, who censors the book display that the school librarian commissions from Dylan, further exacerbate the problem. In the controversy that follows the censorship of the display, Dylan has to face the establishment, her parents, her peers, and most importantly, come to terms with herself and her feelings for Jocelyn. Luckily for Dylan, she has the support of rational and kind parents, and the open-minded school librarian.

Overall, Hello, Groin is a well-considered and thoughtful coming of age story, appropriate for teenagers and for mature tweens.

3Q 4P J S

Other works by Beth Goobie: Something Girl, The Dream Where the Losers Go