What You Need to Know:
• Being a math genius gets a young girl in trouble when she stumbles onto a terrorist plot.
• There are a few mildly violent scenes involving guns, and a minor character commits suicide.
• The 17-year-old main character is in a relationship with a 21 year-old FBI agent.
• Book two, Double Digit, will be published in January 2014.
• There are plans to turn the book into a Disney channel movie.
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Sweet Book Summary:
Farrah Higgins is an extraordinary young girl who just wants to be ordinary. A math genius, she earned the nickname Digit in elementary school and soon found herself a social outcast. When she moved to a new high school, she kept her aptitude for numbers a secret and fell in with a popular crowd of girls that she calls the Fab Four. Now, as she's about to finish high school, her ability to understand numbers and see patterns just may serve a purpose other than making her feel like an outsider. In fact, her "gift" may even save some lives.
When numbers mysteriously appear on her TV screen, Digit's life turns upside down. Unfortunately, when she makes a connection between the numbers and a terrorist attack, she becomes the target of a group of environmentalists dedicated to "torturing and murdering individuals who they felt were 'enemies of the natural world.''' Before she knows it, she's breaking codes and running from the bad guys with FBI agent and major "hottie", John Bennett. Somehow, between spending a week in captivity, being shoved out of a moving taxi, waking to a gun in her face, and witnessing a suicide, Digit begins to accept herself. And, she falls in love for the first time.
Readers will definitely need to suspend disbelief for this one, but if they do, they will find Digit to be a fun and likable character. The romance keeps pace with the action - Digit is just about as desperate for a kiss as she is to avoid a violent and painful death - making A Girl Named Digit a great beach or summer read. Keep in mind that she is only 17, and beginning a relationship, however innocent (they kiss, share some beer, and even a bed for the night) with a 21-year-old man. It's a pleasure to find a female character who is smart, although perhaps with questionable judgment, and I hope that book two gives Digit a chance to embrace her intelligence and strength as much as she focuses on the appeal of a hot guy's embrace. |
Author: Annabel Monaghan Illustrator: n/a Published: 2012, 192 pages
Themes: Adventure, Environmentalism, Identity, Math, Romance, Self-Awareness/Discovery |
Sweet Discussion Questions:
• Why does Digit hide her true self from her friends?
• What does she do to try to fit in at school?
• Do you act like yourself in front of your friends? Why or why not?
• Digit doesn't believe in coincidences. Do you?
• How is Digit affected by her relationships with her parents and brother?
• While Digit may be a math genius, in what ways does she not act so smart?
• Why does she feel such a strong connection to John?
• Why doesn't Digit see the Fab Four for who they really are?
• Why does Digit forgive John? Would you have forgiven him too?
• What do you think will happen next for Digit and John?
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| This recommendation was written by: Melissa G. |
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