Not sure if you've heard, but growing up is hard to do. In A Little Less Girl, Jake grows up pretty quickly once Amy dies and everyone in town lays the blame on him. Dani has always been responsible for her mom, but since moving to Raynesville, she's able to slip back into the teenager role a little more. In both cases, though, these teens are trying to figure out who they are and how they're supposed to move forward after losing someone pretty important. That's tough stuff, especially when you're only seventeen. Good luck, guys.

Questions About Coming of Age

1. Does Amy's death shatter the innocence of the kids at Raynesville High? If so, how? Give examples from the text, please.
2. Why does Dani want to switch things up when she moves to Raynesville? How is this connected to growing up?
3. Does Amy grow and change throughout the course of the story, too? How do you think her life would have turned out if she hadn't died? Why?

Chew on This

Amy's death forces Jake to take a good, hard look at himself and do some serious growing up.

Dani's mom goes through her own "coming of age" period in this book. Hey, it can happen even when you're in your thirties.