Piglettes - by Clementine Beauvais (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Winner of France's biggest prize for teen and young adult fiction: A wickedly funny and life-affirming coming-of-age road trip story

Awarded the Gold, Silver and Bronze trotters after a vote by their classmates on Facebook, Mireille, Astrid and Hakima are officially the three ugliest girls in their school, but does that mean they're going to sit around crying about it?

Well . . . yes, a bit, but not for long! Climbing aboard their bikes, the trio set off on a summer road trip to Paris, their goal: a garden party with the French president. As news of their trip spreads they become stars of social media and television. With the eyes of the nation upon them the girls find fame, friendship and happiness, and still have time to consume an enormous amount of food along the way.

"One of the loveliest reading experiences I've had in years." --Jennifer Niven, New York Times­-bestselling author of All the Bright Places and Holding up the Universe

Review Quotes

"Witty, empowering and irresistibly bonkers, this is a treat for those dreading secondary school, or puberty"
--Amanda Craig, New Statesman, Best Children's Books for Summer

"This beautiful and funny book explores the troubles and triumphs of being a teen through the eyes of a witty, philosophical, and slightly awkward teen. Beauvais goes above and beyond to appeal to readers while addressing many relevant issues in society including cyber-bullying, racism, and self-image. Mireille's voice and character are wonderfully authentic with unflappable confidence and inelegant missteps mixed together for a potent storyteller on a journey of self-discovery. . . Love laughing and cringing? This book is for you!" --Melissa McCleary, Pembroke Public Library, via Youth Services Book Review

"The Piglettes keep trucking... Readers will rejoice in their sass, their celebrity, and their appreciation of French delectables . . . A wonderfully irreverent alternative to earnest claims about real beauty." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A unique voice--mordant, uncompromising and sophisticated . . . a superbly original reimagining of the road-trip novel, skewering societal obsessions with appearance." --Guardian

"Stands out for its humorous style, ridiculing cruelty, malice and obsession with physical appearance. The most beautiful novel of the season." --Elle

"Crammed with acerbic, affectionate, full‐blooded reflections on family, food, the glamorous toxicity of media attention and the difficulty of being an intelligent, outspoken teenage girl without the licence conferred by conventional attractiveness, Beauvais's novel is a strikingly satirical, outrageous tour de force." --Imogen Russell Williams, TLS

"The story of Mireille, Astrid, and Hakima made me cheer, cry, and cartwheel across the floor... One of the loveliest reading experiences I've had in years." --Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places and Holding Up the Universe

"Warm-hearted, uplifting and an excellent lesson in handling online bullies." --Sunday Express

"This book is a treasure--a tale about true friendship and standing up for yourself narrated by one of the wittiest, sharpest teen girl voices I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It made me want to pull my bike out of the garage and ride through the streets yelling about lady power. I absolutely adored this story." --Jennifer Mathieu, author of Moxie

"A triumph of a book; so funny, so original, so sharp, so warm." --Katherine Rundell, author of Rooftoppers

"Pithy, powerful, laugh-out-loud funny." --Cathy Cassidy, author of Chocolate Box Girls

"A jubilant novel that will make you smile. A true joy." --Le Monde

About the Author

Clémentine Beauvais (born 1989) is a French children's author living in the UK. She publishes children's books in both French and English, for a variety of ages, and is a lecturer in English and Education at the University of York.