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A Certain Strain of Peculiar
A teenager journeys from shame to strength when she moves to her grandmother’s farm in a story infused with southern spirit and heart.
This is the last time Mary Harold will have a panic attack at school when kids call her "the grossest girl." If Mom won’t move back to Alabama, her thirteen-year-old daughter will just have to drive herself 691 miles to Grandma Ayma’s farmhouse — and a whole new life. With Ayma’s loving support, Mary Harold is soon strong enough to help Bud, the Cherokee farm manager, wrangle the cows, and confident enough to stand up for his daughter, Dixie, a girl with a strain of peculiar that makes her whinny and stamp like a horse to keep the world at bay. Mary Harold still misses her mom, but has started to have dreams of the Black Warrior Forest that are offering clues. As she listens to their message, and to her own heart, she discovers how powerful and surprising the bonds of family can be.
This is the last time Mary Harold will have a panic attack at school when kids call her "the grossest girl." If Mom won’t move back to Alabama, her thirteen-year-old daughter will just have to drive herself 691 miles to Grandma Ayma’s farmhouse — and a whole new life. With Ayma’s loving support, Mary Harold is soon strong enough to help Bud, the Cherokee farm manager, wrangle the cows, and confident enough to stand up for his daughter, Dixie, a girl with a strain of peculiar that makes her whinny and stamp like a horse to keep the world at bay. Mary Harold still misses her mom, but has started to have dreams of the Black Warrior Forest that are offering clues. As she listens to their message, and to her own heart, she discovers how powerful and surprising the bonds of family can be.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published April 14, 2009
3 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Gigi Amateau
9books44followersGigi Amateau was born in northeastern Mississippi and raised in Mechanicsville, Virginia, just outside of Richmond. Her first young adult novel, Claiming Georgia Tate (Candlewick Press, 2005), described as “a moving first offering” by School Library Journal, was selected as a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, Voice of Youth Advocates Review Editor’s Choice, and a Book Sense Summer Pick. It was also nominated for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Children’s Book Award and the American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults list.
Among other upcoming titles, Chancey of the Maury River will be published by Candlewick Press in May 2008.
Among other upcoming titles, Chancey of the Maury River will be published by Candlewick Press in May 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 26, 2011
Arrived from Candlewick today, picked it up and got sucked in right off the bat. I had at least a dozen things I *should* have been doing at my desk, but that's what's great about being a media specialist. If I'm reading at my desk, I'm also doing part of my job! Review coming shortly...
Mary Harold has absolutely had it. Living in Virginia with her mother, she has panic attacks at school and gets bullied frequently. Mary decides she will never, ever be called "the grossest girl" ever again, and she tells her mother that she wants to move to Alabama to live with her grandma Ayma. When her mother refuses, Mary takes the old truck and a bag with a few things, and drives herself almost 700 miles to Wren Mountain, Alabama. At the cattle ranch, Ayma is waiting with open arms. Mary's mother gives in, but with some conditions: the most important being that Mary must have a cow of her own to care for, in order to learn responsibility. The ranch manager, Bud, takes Mary to buy the animal the next day, and she starts working with Bud and the cattle. Bud has two children, Delta and Dixie. Delta is the most obnoxious annoying little boy on the planet, and there's a lot wrong with Dixie. She communicates through horse noises instead of speaking words -- she's been like this ever since her mother abandoned the family. Spending time with Dixie is good for Mary, and also good for Dixie. As the summer ends, and the girls go back to school, Dixie returns to the usual torture of bullying for her strange behaviors, but Mary uses her newfound strength and confidence to stand up for Dixie. Making the right choices is difficult, and standing up for damaged Dixie puts Mary squarely in the bullies' target zone, which is where she swore she would never be again. Mary is angry - hiding doesn't work, fighting doesn't work... what will? Realistic fiction about accepting yourself and the differences in others, with a delightful cast of oddball characters in the little town of Wren. 7th grade and up.
Mary Harold has absolutely had it. Living in Virginia with her mother, she has panic attacks at school and gets bullied frequently. Mary decides she will never, ever be called "the grossest girl" ever again, and she tells her mother that she wants to move to Alabama to live with her grandma Ayma. When her mother refuses, Mary takes the old truck and a bag with a few things, and drives herself almost 700 miles to Wren Mountain, Alabama. At the cattle ranch, Ayma is waiting with open arms. Mary's mother gives in, but with some conditions: the most important being that Mary must have a cow of her own to care for, in order to learn responsibility. The ranch manager, Bud, takes Mary to buy the animal the next day, and she starts working with Bud and the cattle. Bud has two children, Delta and Dixie. Delta is the most obnoxious annoying little boy on the planet, and there's a lot wrong with Dixie. She communicates through horse noises instead of speaking words -- she's been like this ever since her mother abandoned the family. Spending time with Dixie is good for Mary, and also good for Dixie. As the summer ends, and the girls go back to school, Dixie returns to the usual torture of bullying for her strange behaviors, but Mary uses her newfound strength and confidence to stand up for Dixie. Making the right choices is difficult, and standing up for damaged Dixie puts Mary squarely in the bullies' target zone, which is where she swore she would never be again. Mary is angry - hiding doesn't work, fighting doesn't work... what will? Realistic fiction about accepting yourself and the differences in others, with a delightful cast of oddball characters in the little town of Wren. 7th grade and up.
January 25, 2010
Mary Harold is peculiar: she's thirteen, is not quite sure who she is or who she wants to ne, she's frightened of her world to the extent that she gets panic attacks, she has no friends, and she comes from a family of women who have all done things there own way no matter who objects. There was so much in this story I liked. Dixie, the girl who is a horse, was fantastic. Mary's mother didn't impress me much, but she did seem to have her own problems to deal with. The representation of Mary's family as "country" was great - definitely a modern culture that is rarely represented positively in kids' books.
I especially enjoyed Mary's growing sexuality, which I thought was another underrepresented and yet totally normal aspect of a 13 year old girl. She's a sexual being - she likes her developing body and the feelings it creates - but her sexuality hasn't found a focus yet. There are 13 year olds who know they are straight or know they are queer, but there are also a bunch of them who haven't reached that point yet. She's still busy worrying about the cows and her deer and her friend who is a girl and a horse.
At the same time, there is something about this book that simply did not gell for me. I'm not partial to stories in which dreams become plot devices, for one. Also, Mary's voice didn't always ring completely true. Still, overall an enjoyable read.
I especially enjoyed Mary's growing sexuality, which I thought was another underrepresented and yet totally normal aspect of a 13 year old girl. She's a sexual being - she likes her developing body and the feelings it creates - but her sexuality hasn't found a focus yet. There are 13 year olds who know they are straight or know they are queer, but there are also a bunch of them who haven't reached that point yet. She's still busy worrying about the cows and her deer and her friend who is a girl and a horse.
At the same time, there is something about this book that simply did not gell for me. I'm not partial to stories in which dreams become plot devices, for one. Also, Mary's voice didn't always ring completely true. Still, overall an enjoyable read.
November 4, 2012
Reviewed by Steph for TeensReadToo.com
Mary Harold Woods is peculiar. Because she is so peculiar, she is often picked on by her classmates, and she doesn't feel like she belongs in Virginia. However, there is one place that Mary Harold has always felt like she belongs: Wren, Alabama.
Wren is where her beloved Grandma, Ayma, lives. However, Mary Harold's mother, Tabitha (Bye), won't go back. So it's up to Mary Harold to somehow get to Wren so she can figure out who she is and where she belongs in the world.
Once in Wren, Mary Harold works as a farmhand along with the friendly Bud, who has some past history with Bye. And there's another surprise in Wren: another girl just as peculiar as Mary Harold herself. Dixie is odd, and Mary Harold takes it upon herself to stand up for Dixie and protect her, something no one ever did for Mary Harold.
Through this coming-of-age and self-discovery story, Gigi Amateau provides a quaint and peaceful setting where a lone and lonely girl finds herself. Any reader can relate to the sense of belonging that Mary Harold struggles with in the beginning of the novel.
A CERTAIN STRAIN OF PECULIAR is recommended for all teenage girls who went through the odd phase of coming into your body and personality, becoming who you are today.
Mary Harold Woods is peculiar. Because she is so peculiar, she is often picked on by her classmates, and she doesn't feel like she belongs in Virginia. However, there is one place that Mary Harold has always felt like she belongs: Wren, Alabama.
Wren is where her beloved Grandma, Ayma, lives. However, Mary Harold's mother, Tabitha (Bye), won't go back. So it's up to Mary Harold to somehow get to Wren so she can figure out who she is and where she belongs in the world.
Once in Wren, Mary Harold works as a farmhand along with the friendly Bud, who has some past history with Bye. And there's another surprise in Wren: another girl just as peculiar as Mary Harold herself. Dixie is odd, and Mary Harold takes it upon herself to stand up for Dixie and protect her, something no one ever did for Mary Harold.
Through this coming-of-age and self-discovery story, Gigi Amateau provides a quaint and peaceful setting where a lone and lonely girl finds herself. Any reader can relate to the sense of belonging that Mary Harold struggles with in the beginning of the novel.
A CERTAIN STRAIN OF PECULIAR is recommended for all teenage girls who went through the odd phase of coming into your body and personality, becoming who you are today.
March 10, 2011
Cricket is a 13 year old who thinks nothing of stealing her Mom's credit card and truck and driving almost 700 miles to her grandmother's home. She has been verbally abused by her classmates and feels that she cannot continue living in Virginia and would prefer to give up living with her Mom, a single parent, and live in Alabama with her grandmother in a very small town where everyone knows everything about you.
Cricket suffers from anxiety attacks and at times of high stress cannot breathe, however as she introduces herself in a new social setting she repeats the mantra her Mom said, "You are starting new, you can be anyone you want to be."
Cricket befriends a young girl who does not speak but acts like a horse -- for some reason her Mom says she needs to protect Daisy and she does. Cricket uses her new found voice and muscles from working on her grandmother's farm to protect her friend both verbally and physically.
I like this book and think that it should be read by anyone who has suffered through bullying. Learning to find your voice is essential in life and this book helps you to see how one girl found hers...
Cricket suffers from anxiety attacks and at times of high stress cannot breathe, however as she introduces herself in a new social setting she repeats the mantra her Mom said, "You are starting new, you can be anyone you want to be."
Cricket befriends a young girl who does not speak but acts like a horse -- for some reason her Mom says she needs to protect Daisy and she does. Cricket uses her new found voice and muscles from working on her grandmother's farm to protect her friend both verbally and physically.
I like this book and think that it should be read by anyone who has suffered through bullying. Learning to find your voice is essential in life and this book helps you to see how one girl found hers...
April 6, 2011
Ever since a misunderstanding in fourth grade, Mary Harold, now finishing sixth grade, has been teased to the point of being a total outcast in her school and causing her frequent panic attacks. She hides behind her long hair and a bulky sweater. She's decided that the solution is for her and her mom to move back to Wren, Alabama, the one place she thinks she can breath. When her mother refuses, 13-year-old Mary Harold steals her mom's truck and drives to Alabama anyway.
The events that follow aren't terribly surprising but they're portrayed so convincingly that this really is a book about the journey instead of the destination (although the destination is nice.) The characters all differ just enough from standard types to keep the interest of this adult. The emotions are all portrayed strongly enough that I think teens will be instantly sucked into the story as well. And while Mary Harold's path is fairly predictable it's not a straight line, so there are also enough challenges along the way to keep a reader's interest.
I strongly recommend this to anyone looking for a story about characters who don't quite fit in.
The events that follow aren't terribly surprising but they're portrayed so convincingly that this really is a book about the journey instead of the destination (although the destination is nice.) The characters all differ just enough from standard types to keep the interest of this adult. The emotions are all portrayed strongly enough that I think teens will be instantly sucked into the story as well. And while Mary Harold's path is fairly predictable it's not a straight line, so there are also enough challenges along the way to keep a reader's interest.
I strongly recommend this to anyone looking for a story about characters who don't quite fit in.
December 8, 2011
A Certain Strain of Peculiar
by Gigi Amateau
Mary Harold Woods hopes that moving away from her small Virginia town and living with her Grandmother Ayma will give her a fresh start on life—a life that has labeled her as “the grossest girl” in her school and hometown. When her mother forbids it, Mary runs away to her grandmother in Wren, Alabama where she meets new challenges even harder than those she faced back in Virginia. Yet with the support of her community and her family, Mary Harold develops new tools that help her to face the hardships that life has in store for every young woman and discovers self-esteem she never knew she possessed. A beautifully written book that helps even a city gal like me understand why people love nature. It's a chick book for sure; girls will love Mary Harold for her fierce, fighting nature and her compassion for those less fortunate than she. What is also very cool about this book is that it's not a romance...Mary Harold finds her own worth without the help of some sappy boy who worships the ground she walks on...and I love that!
by Gigi Amateau
Mary Harold Woods hopes that moving away from her small Virginia town and living with her Grandmother Ayma will give her a fresh start on life—a life that has labeled her as “the grossest girl” in her school and hometown. When her mother forbids it, Mary runs away to her grandmother in Wren, Alabama where she meets new challenges even harder than those she faced back in Virginia. Yet with the support of her community and her family, Mary Harold develops new tools that help her to face the hardships that life has in store for every young woman and discovers self-esteem she never knew she possessed. A beautifully written book that helps even a city gal like me understand why people love nature. It's a chick book for sure; girls will love Mary Harold for her fierce, fighting nature and her compassion for those less fortunate than she. What is also very cool about this book is that it's not a romance...Mary Harold finds her own worth without the help of some sappy boy who worships the ground she walks on...and I love that!
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August 19, 2009Mary Harold has had enough of her school in Virginia. When her mother doesn't respond the way Mary wants, she drives to Wren, Alabama, to start over with her grandmother, Ayma. As she meets new friends and neighbors in town, and has her mother visit, she discovers her mom might still have a home in Wren, after all.[return][return]Mary learns about cattle, who she is, who she wants to be, all while adjusting to life in a new town. This is a great story of coming of age, learning who you are, and how family affects you.
January 8, 2015
I was drawn to this YA because of the setting - Lawrence County, AL is close to where I grew up and where I lived when I married. The places and attiudes were spot on in that regard - folks there were often a "certain strain of peculiar". Amateau has created a heroine that the reader can really get behind with Cricket - you're rooting for her from the first pages, and you really feel for her, Dixie, and the rest of the characters. A really quick, enjoyable read- I'm definitely going to read more by Amateau.
August 3, 2016
A book about being who you want to be and getting a chance to start over. Mary Harold runs away to her grandmother's house where her mother allows her to stay thus giving Mary Harold her chance to start over. Which she does, first off she cuts her hair super short, so the cover is ruined for me. She also refuses to be bullied and she stands up for herself and her new best friend Dixie. I lost all of my sympathy for Mary Harold after the bus incident but Amateau does a decent job in the punishments that Mary Harold must face and the reconciliation of friends and family.
February 17, 2009
First person narrative. Cricket is bullied and utterly silent. She wants to leave Tennessee and go to Wren Alabama to live with her grandmother in a safe place where she can find herself. Her mom does not understand Cricket's suffering and demurs so Cricket, gets into her mother's truck with a credit card and some cash and drives to Wren herself. Over the course of the next few months Cricket finds, her way, her place and her voice in Wren.
November 2, 2012
I would never have picked this up ordinarily, but I was stuck with nothing to read and this was the only thing within reach.
Anyway, it was actually very sweet and had lots of awesome things like a cow raising a baby deer, and a girl who thinks she's a horse, and another teenage girl who loves her body (I know! crazy!) and the best knitting circle of all time.
Anyway, it was actually very sweet and had lots of awesome things like a cow raising a baby deer, and a girl who thinks she's a horse, and another teenage girl who loves her body (I know! crazy!) and the best knitting circle of all time.
August 2, 2013
Although I'm not usually the type of girl that enjoys horse stories or farm type books I decided to give this one a try and it was by far worth it.
It was beautifully written and perfectly described every detail of the story. I reccomend this book for everyone who is looking for a fabulous summer read.
It was beautifully written and perfectly described every detail of the story. I reccomend this book for everyone who is looking for a fabulous summer read.
February 20, 2011
A lovely freebie from the publisher. This book has been popping up alot on books that discuss bullying. A fairly simple read with obvious twists, this would be a great reading suggestion for a pre-teen.
July 19, 2012
I was desperately annoyed by the part where's she's mesmerized by her own breasts, and the girl obsessed with pretending to be a horse was a bit weird even by kid standards, but generally it was a sweet story.
April 9, 2013
An interesting coming-of-age tale about Mary Harold Woods who has recurring panic attacks at school and runs away to her grandmother's farm to try to find out just where she can fit in. Once there she changes her appearance, gets a little buff and finds a place to belong.
Read
April 23, 2009This turned out to be a really good book, even though it had a few minor flaws!! I was able to relate to the characters, most of the time
Read
October 27, 2009Beautifully written.
December 6, 2009
A solid coming-of-age, finding your way story about a girl who just wants be accepted for herself.
October 13, 2014
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. The story was slow and I didn't like or feel anything for the main character. Very disappointing.
February 1, 2011
This book addressed problems about children in schools getting bullied for differences. i thought this book was good.
March 13, 2011
Just didn't like it.
Want to read
June 28, 2012Candlewick
2009
2009
February 27, 2015
I loved this book! My friend and I read it in math class instead of doing work and you have to know it was good because my friend never reads but this she just flew right through.
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June 3, 2015This book with a blue cover was written by a Virginia author.
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