---
product_id: 147629963
title: "What Girls Are Made Of"
price: "S/.86"
currency: PEN
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.pe/products/147629963-what-girls-are-made
store_origin: PE
region: Peru
---

# What Girls Are Made Of

**Price:** S/.86
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- **What is this?** What Girls Are Made Of
- **How much does it cost?** S/.86 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pe](https://www.desertcart.pe/products/147629963-what-girls-are-made)

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## Description

desertcart.com: What Girls Are Made Of: 9780823445677: Arnold, Elana K.: Books

Review: Unflinching look at being a girl - I first encountered this author's work when I was able to request her children's book "Far From Fair" from desertcart Vine. Which I loved. And when a request went out for reviewers for her new book, I jumped on it, not even knowing what this title was about, or that it was for older audiences. I was grabbed by the descriptions in the first paragraph of this book, and saw the narrator, Nina, and her mother, in the simple but important dance that all women do: fold sheets. And then I could not put the book down. I read, and read, and read, until I was finished reading. Which is HUGE for me, because I have a hard time concentrating these days (thanks, Sick Person Body and #InvisibleIllnesses). The book is sad, and lonely, and perfectly describes the confusion that girls feel. The longing for someone to love you unconditionally, the longing for someone in particular, the hurt when it doesn't work out. The embarrassment of having a woman's body: the periods, the small breasts, the shoes, the desire to look slutty, while not being a slut, etc. The book weaves together short "stories" that were supposedly written by Nina for a class project, and her past and present experience with love: family love, friend love, boyfriend love. The stories focus on female saints who were mutilated - a poignant look at women who were adored and then reviled. The book does deal with some tough issues: abortion, teenage sex, death, parents who aren't really there, etc. But I hope lots of girls read this book, and realize they are not alone in how they feel. I admire the author for channeling her anger at being a girl (and love; we can't imagine being anything else) into this work. My only negative comment is that: there was quite a build up to the "bad" thing Nina did to a new classmate, but when I finally got it, to my imagination had built it up to be far worse. But then, I haven't been in high school for many many years, so perhaps it is as bad as it is made out to be. Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This has no bearing on my review. I never guarantee a positive rating, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review: “As long as there have been women, there have always been ways to punish them for being women” - An unsettling novel which with brutal honesty describes what it means to be a girl. This is THE book about all the things adults do not want teenagers to know about – from details of pelvic exam, through sex to abortion. All written in a direct and raw way, crossing all possible boundaries. It touches on the uncomfortable topics I was afraid to ask my parents about when I was a teenager, and which – if I did ask – they would struggle to answer without taking the gross details out and sugar-coating it all. In the author’s note Elana Arnold writes “Sugar and spice and everything nice; that’s what girls are made of. Hearing this nursery rhyme when I was a little girl, I remember feeling smug. I was a girl, and therefore I was made of the good stuff; boys, on the other hand, were made of frogs and snails and puppy fog tails – slimy, icky, dismembered, even. Now, though, I read it differently. First, now I see that the stuff of girls is meant to be consumed – sugar, spice and everything nice – yummy sweet treats that melt in your mouth. And it reads to me now as warning rather than assessment. It’s an imperative: to be a girl, one must be sweet and delicious. One must be made entirely of everything nice. There is no room in girlhood (and, perhaps, femaleness) for anything else. But this is not my experience of femaleness. As I grew up, I became distinctly aware that I was not made entirely of sweetness.” The main character – Nina – is a teenage girl who is melodramatic, confused, feels lost and searches for answers. She is not perfect, she makes mistakes (some bigger than others), and she feels disconnected from her parents. Nina does not have many friends, and the one she used to be friends with is very easy to dislike. I know many reviews stated that all the characters were difficult to like, but I actually liked Nina from the beginning of the story. Her mother told her once that there is no such thing as unconditional love, and Nina takes it on herself to prove this statement wrong. This is not easy. Working in high-kill shelter Nina is being reminded every day that her mother might have been right, and with that tried to figure out what the conditions of love are. Throughout the story, Nina remembers her trip to Italy with her mother. During that trip she learnt a lot about the saints who died being violently tortured for their love to Jesus, for having an opinion, for not willing to give themselves to other men, and for being women. “What girls ate made of” is the most feminist book I have ever read, and although I do not consider myself a feminist, and this is NOT a story of sugar and spice and everything nice, I enjoyed this book a lot and was disappointed when it ended. The author did leave the ending open, and could have built on it more and make the book longer, but at the same time I do understand why it ended the way it did.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #979,967 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #471 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Dating & Sex (Books) #642 in Censorship & Politics #3,518 in Teen & Young Adult Contemporary Romance |
| Customer Reviews | 4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars (209) |
| Dimensions  | 5.47 x 0.51 x 8.27 inches |
| Grade level  | 9 - 12 |
| ISBN-10  | 0823445674 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0823445677 |
| Item Weight  | 6.6 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 208 pages |
| Publication date  | January 28, 2020 |
| Publisher  | Holiday House |
| Reading age  | 14 - 17 years |

## Images

![What Girls Are Made Of - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81X8yTF4Y5L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unflinching look at being a girl
*by D***H on March 28, 2017*

I first encountered this author's work when I was able to request her children's book "Far From Fair" from Amazon Vine. Which I loved. And when a request went out for reviewers for her new book, I jumped on it, not even knowing what this title was about, or that it was for older audiences. I was grabbed by the descriptions in the first paragraph of this book, and saw the narrator, Nina, and her mother, in the simple but important dance that all women do: fold sheets. And then I could not put the book down. I read, and read, and read, until I was finished reading. Which is HUGE for me, because I have a hard time concentrating these days (thanks, Sick Person Body and #InvisibleIllnesses). The book is sad, and lonely, and perfectly describes the confusion that girls feel. The longing for someone to love you unconditionally, the longing for someone in particular, the hurt when it doesn't work out. The embarrassment of having a woman's body: the periods, the small breasts, the shoes, the desire to look slutty, while not being a slut, etc. The book weaves together short "stories" that were supposedly written by Nina for a class project, and her past and present experience with love: family love, friend love, boyfriend love. The stories focus on female saints who were mutilated - a poignant look at women who were adored and then reviled. The book does deal with some tough issues: abortion, teenage sex, death, parents who aren't really there, etc. But I hope lots of girls read this book, and realize they are not alone in how they feel. I admire the author for channeling her anger at being a girl (and love; we can't imagine being anything else) into this work. My only negative comment is that: there was quite a build up to the "bad" thing Nina did to a new classmate, but when I finally got it, to my imagination had built it up to be far worse. But then, I haven't been in high school for many many years, so perhaps it is as bad as it is made out to be. Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This has no bearing on my review. I never guarantee a positive rating, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ “As long as there have been women, there have always been ways to punish them for being women”
*by S***A on January 10, 2018*

An unsettling novel which with brutal honesty describes what it means to be a girl. This is THE book about all the things adults do not want teenagers to know about – from details of pelvic exam, through sex to abortion. All written in a direct and raw way, crossing all possible boundaries. It touches on the uncomfortable topics I was afraid to ask my parents about when I was a teenager, and which – if I did ask – they would struggle to answer without taking the gross details out and sugar-coating it all. In the author’s note Elana Arnold writes “Sugar and spice and everything nice; that’s what girls are made of. Hearing this nursery rhyme when I was a little girl, I remember feeling smug. I was a girl, and therefore I was made of the good stuff; boys, on the other hand, were made of frogs and snails and puppy fog tails – slimy, icky, dismembered, even. Now, though, I read it differently. First, now I see that the stuff of girls is meant to be consumed – sugar, spice and everything nice – yummy sweet treats that melt in your mouth. And it reads to me now as warning rather than assessment. It’s an imperative: to be a girl, one must be sweet and delicious. One must be made entirely of everything nice. There is no room in girlhood (and, perhaps, femaleness) for anything else. But this is not my experience of femaleness. As I grew up, I became distinctly aware that I was not made entirely of sweetness.” The main character – Nina – is a teenage girl who is melodramatic, confused, feels lost and searches for answers. She is not perfect, she makes mistakes (some bigger than others), and she feels disconnected from her parents. Nina does not have many friends, and the one she used to be friends with is very easy to dislike. I know many reviews stated that all the characters were difficult to like, but I actually liked Nina from the beginning of the story. Her mother told her once that there is no such thing as unconditional love, and Nina takes it on herself to prove this statement wrong. This is not easy. Working in high-kill shelter Nina is being reminded every day that her mother might have been right, and with that tried to figure out what the conditions of love are. Throughout the story, Nina remembers her trip to Italy with her mother. During that trip she learnt a lot about the saints who died being violently tortured for their love to Jesus, for having an opinion, for not willing to give themselves to other men, and for being women. “What girls ate made of” is the most feminist book I have ever read, and although I do not consider myself a feminist, and this is NOT a story of sugar and spice and everything nice, I enjoyed this book a lot and was disappointed when it ended. The author did leave the ending open, and could have built on it more and make the book longer, but at the same time I do understand why it ended the way it did.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love this book
*by A***E on April 5, 2018*

Love this book! I wish I could have read it when I was a teen. Should be required reading or all young people. Full of the messiness and beauty and heartbreak of being a girl, of being a human, of being seen as disposable. I love how this book is raw and too real at moments and poetic and almost magical at others.

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*Product available on Desertcart Peru*
*Store origin: PE*
*Last updated: 2026-04-23*