Reviews

A cute intergenerational story with flashbacks to Winnipeg in the 60s.

I finished reading Sixties Girl in one day. I had a hard time putting it down. I loved how the two storylines were so skillfully woven together and like Will, I kept wanting more of his grandmother’s stories. Maybe because I also grew up in the sixties the stories really resonated with me. And I loved how you didn’t shy away from the hard things lots of kids go through.

The twists and turns of the 1960s are the backdrop of MaryLou Driedger’s new novel, which whisks adolescent readers back to an era of rapid change with more than a few parallels to the present. Sixties Girl is the coming-of-age story of Laura, a girl who is grappling with transformations happening close to home and around the world. Set in 1960s and present-day Winnipeg, the book follows Laura as she navigates the ups and downs of adolescence. A grown-up Laura also recounts her eventful childhood to her grandson, Will, who finds contemporary echoes in the decades-old stories.

Listening to stories told by his grandmother about growing up in the 1960s compels young Will to ask hard questions about his own relationships with friends and family. Heartfelt, warm, rich in details, meticulously researched, and complete with intriguing historical notes, MaryLou Driedger’s Sixties Girl adeptly brings the era to life.

Driedger’s self-contained chapters – inspired by her own childhood – are well crafted and effective. The highly evocative vignettes will appeal to young readers with a taste for the past (history buffs will also appreciate the endnotes that cast extra light on each chapter). And on the final page, a last-minute twist provides a welcome surprise. – Read the full review here. 

I just read Sixties Girl and thoroughly enjoyed it!! You are a very talented author. This book kept my interest all the way through, even though coming-of-age stories are not normally my favourite type of book. I’ll be sure to read Lost on the Prairie, too. I’m not from Winnipeg, but we’ve lived here now for 17 years, so it was fun to read about several iconic places, street names, etc. in the city. I’m a Sixties Girl, too, just a couple years younger than Laura, so enjoyed your nods to the Beatles, Neil Diamond, Seventeen magazine, and even Kotex, all of which were a huge part of my growing up years. Thanks for the memories.

Sixties Girl was a fabulous treat. I found the book did a great job of teaching history and I was most impressed with its emotional complexity.

Sixties Girl was so interesting that I could hardly put it down! Congratulations on another well-written, engaging book for children and adults alike!

I loved this book for a lot of reasons. 1. Strong writing. 2. Intergenerational storytelling 3. It tackles some heavy subject matter (body shaming, menstruation misinformation, racism) 4. The characters are flawed but face their problems in realistic ways. There were lots of takeaways for me and it would make an excellent read-aloud or lit circle book for grades 4-7.

I gave Sixties Girl to my next door neighbour last year for her 12th birthday.   She is a great reader and said she loved the book and she was getting her friends to read it too.   She told me she had read it four times over the summer.

By using a beloved grandparent’s recollections as a framing device, Driedger makes moments in local and global history real and rooted in a perspective children can understand. While the topics broached are serious, Driedger tells them with compassion and understanding, softening the subject matter for younger readers without robbing them of their significance.

Mary Lou Driedger writes books for all age groups but writes in such a way that younger readers can appreciate them and learn from them and love them. At the same time, adults get just as much from the beautifully crafted and fulfilling themes and messages Mary Lou embeds in her stories

Sixties Girl has this great message about the value of spending time with older generations. If we will sit down and listen to their stories there is so much they have to teach us.

I really enjoyed Sixties Girl. Reading Laura and Will’s stories created a domino effect triggering memories and stories from my own childhood.

As a sixties girl myself I was intrigued when I saw Sixties Girl was an addition to our local library as I was scanning the new releases. The novel was full of references that brought back many memories for me. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I’ve already recommended the book to a few of my grandmother’s friends.

As a historical fiction fan, I love the idea of a middle-grade book set in the 1960s. There aren’t that many out there and it’s important for today’s kids to know about that era, in both a historical and a cultural sense. As a genealogist, I also love the thought of a teenage boy asking his grandmother about her life and memories, especially when that experience draws them together. SIXTIES GIRL features both of these elements. They’re my favorite things about the book.

This is a well-written story that crosses the generations. The Sixties stories are all fascinating and will engage both the audience that didn’t grow up during that time, and the audience who will have fond memories—an excellent middle-grade story for both girls and boys.

Bought Sixties Girl today at McNally-Robinson and read it from start to finish! It was very engaging!

Excellent story about a young girl growing up in the sixties in Winnipeg told in alternating timelines. Includes a lot of historical events including the Cuban Missile Crisis, Expo 67, Beatlemania and miniskirts. I loved this book for many reasons: strong writing; intergenerational storytelling; age-appropriate approach to heavy subject matter and excellent characters who face their problems in realistic ways. Would make an excellent read-aloud in an upper intermediate class.

We have a much-loved copy of Sixties Girl and I have recommended it to many moms. It was the first chapter book that my 10-year-old read by herself – She enjoyed it so much when her Oma read it to her for the first time. Thank you, MaryLou!

Just finished Sixties Girl. What a pleasure to read! You are an accomplished author! Congratulations! I will be passing the book along to the young people in our family and have recommended it to our library.

Loved Sixties Girl! So many of the exploits were familiar, as someone who also grew up in the sixties. I so enjoyed your use of a grandparent sharing stories of their adventures. I know your book will be a great success!

Enjoyed reading Sixties Girl!   Talk about bringing back memories of that time in my life!

MaryLou Driedger has deftly woven together a historical fiction story of a girl growing up in the fast-changing 1960s and a contemporary story of a boy dealing with bullying, making new friends, and learning how to trust. Both storylines are compelling in their own right, and together they form this beautifully written novel that lets us sink into each character’s coming-of-age journey. Sixties Girl is a captivating page-turner that I did not want to end! Fans of Driedger’s first book, Lost on the Prairie, will not be disappointed!

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely yes! What did I love about it? The historical events and historical notes. The friendship between Will, Emmaline and Aneesh. The discussion about bullying and how destructive it can be. How eager I was to read the story behind each item in the suitcase. How each chapter in the present ends with an opening into a story from the past. Reading this book made me envy Will; the time he spends with his grandmother and all the stories she tells him. I don’t have a close relationship with any of my grandmothers, and I thought Will was so lucky. Thanks to the author for letting me pretend I was listening to my grandmother. If you know any young readers who want to explore history in a simple and heartwarming way, Sixties Girl is a good book to start with.

I just finished Sixties Girl and loved it. I wasn’t ready for it to end. I wanted to hear more of Grandma’s stories. I could identify with so much of it since I was very much a sixties girl myself. Thanks for an awesome read.

Will’s struggle to admit the terrible extent of the bullying he has experienced to everyone who cares about him is wrenching and eye-opening; bullies are very creative and have so much power over everyone around them. I enjoyed the peeks back into Grandma’s 1960’s years – her stories are really good.

The book was so well written, holding my interest throughout. Sixties Girl has many poignant and honest stories and you will want to read them even if you are not in the 9-12 age group the book is written for. I found the recurring theme of the old German lullaby Schlaf, Kindlein, Schlaf, so comforting. I liked that Driedger did not gloss over the difficulties of the young people in the story. I did find it interesting that many of Laura’s stories are set in Rocky Creek. Could this be a “take off” on Steinbach? My verdict? This book is well worth reading.

My aunt has given me both of your books and I have thoroughly enjoyed them. I loved learning about all the interesting history as well as becoming connected to the characters. I loved that some of the characters were the same in both books. Thank you for writing Lost on the Prarie and Sixties Girl. I admire how well-written your stories are and how you are able to convey such vivid imagery and emotions. I have to admit that I did cry occasionally while reading. I love to read and learn and I have found that historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. Both of your books are now some of my favourites.  Please continue to write and thank you again for your lovely stories. You are inspiring and I hope that you know that.

This is a fun way to learn about life in the 60s. I will totally gift the book to my daughter’s school. I think it would be a perfect addition to their library.

My aunt is loving the book. She was a 60s girl in Winnipeg!

In this thoughtful middle-grade novel, the past deftly intersects with the present. His grandmother’s old suitcase, stuffed with random objects, becomes eleven-year-old Will’s portal to both family and world history, and to a better understanding of himself. An empowering book about sharing stories, Sixties Girl is sure to stimulate conversation between generations.

Perfect picture of growing up in 60s Winnipeg.

I read Sixties Girl in the airport and on the flight to Abbotsford, then handed it over to my granddaughter Hazel. Hazel and I both enjoyed the book and it gives us topics to discuss and compare–how things were and how they are now. A “generation spanner.”

I enjoyed reading Sixties Girl. You are a gifted writer and I’m excited to purchase more copies to give to our nieces and nephews!

I’m always a fan of intergenerational stories and Sixties Girl didn’t disappoint! Growing up in Manitoba I loved all the historical references and pop culture inclusions. It was nostalgic! The endearing relationship that grows between Will and his grandmother through her storytelling is heartwarming. Sixties Girl had a connection with the author’s debut novel, Lost on the Prairie but you don’t have to read it first to read Sixties Girl. My husband grew up in Winnipeg so we had some great conversations about his childhood experiences while I was enjoying this novel. It would be a fabulous read to use in the classroom!

Loved Sixties Girl. Couldn’t put it down.

I loved Sixties Girl. Thank you for sharing this story. Brilliant and wonderful.

I suppose all story writers are story ‘weavers’ to some extent…but that is the word that kept coming to mind as I read the chapters of Sixties Girl. This story is beautifully woven! Laura’s voice, Will’s voice, moments in history, items in the suitcase, interactions of family and friends, personal fears and shared celebrations, past and present, youth and senior….there are SO many strong and colourful threads woven together so very nimbly and skillfully! Thank you for this memorable piece of fabric! Being a sixties girl, too, I connected with several threads you have woven!