Girl Overboard

by Justina Chen

Book Overview

The worst thing about having it all is having to deal with it all-the good, the bad, and the just plain weird. Like seeing more of my dad when he's on the cover of Business Week than I do in person. Like the surgeon whose schedule was too jammed with professional ballplayers to deal with my busted up knee...until he heard who my parents were and miraculously his calendar was wide open. Like the pseudo boyfriend who was more in love with my last name...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316011290
• ISBN13: 9780316011297
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Inspiring and amazing.

Summary: Syrah was injured in a snowboarding accident. Her dream is to become a Pro-Snowboarder. Her family is unsupportive. Her father, Ethan Cheung, made the cell phone of today. Her mother, Betty Cheung, is both a fashionista and do charity fundraising. All she want to do is be on the slopes with her best friend, Age,but he is too busy with his new boyfriend. She soon befriends Lillan, an energetic and kid person. That spends most of her time at Seattle Children's Hospital. Lillan's sister, Amanda, has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant or she'll die. Syrah and Lillan organize a Charity Snowboarding Event to help spread awareness for bone marrow transplant and the fact that everyone should register for it My Review: This book is just plain amazing. It hit my heart strings. For those that don't know this, I am a patient at Seattle Children's Hospital. I have a immunological problem,where I am always at the doctors. I have seen some of these kids that are too young to not be playing with their friends or at school. It literally breaks my heart. I also like the plot and the fact that this book tackles such deep issues. I recommend reading this as soon as possible. Also, if you are over 16 and are able to donate bone marrow. Please register, you could save someone's life.

An inspiring book

Reviewed by Emily Robbins (age 13) for Reader Views (3/08) "Girl Overboard," by Justina Chen Headley, is about Syrah Cheng, the daughter of a billionaire, the famous Ethan Cheng. Decked out private jets, expensive designer snowboards, all of the latest hot fashions, it's all hers. She is definitely living large. The only problem is that she hates it. Instead of parties, Syrah would rather be up on the tall, snowy mountains doing what she knows best, skateboarding. Syrah's life is just going downhill. Her best friend's girlfriend is ruining their relationship. Her knee was supposed to have healed by now, after a horrible snowboarding accident she had a while back, but it is still giving her troubles. She's also struggling with trying to figure out who her real friends are, and who she herself is. My favorite character is definitely Lillian, one of Syrah's friends. She is energetic, kind, and seems like the best type of friend a person could have. Unlike the rest of Lillian's popular friends, she is more concerned about the sick and deathly-ill kids in the hospital than the juicy gossip her friends enjoy so greatly. Wayne, Syrah's unkind brother, completely does not understand Syrah. He is just after his very large share in his father's very large inheritance, and making loads of cash. So, instead of trying to understand her, he is just a cruel sibling, trying to ruin her snowboarding dream. Wayne is unquestionably, my least favorite character of them all. "Girl Overboard" was an inspiring book. I really liked how it really went into her lifestyle, trying to show you just how much she loathed it. The author did a really good job with all the diverse characters, and showing their different personalities. Some parts in the book I admit were a little dull and monotonous; in those sections I just skimmed over those paragraphs, but all in all it was an all-around great book! Two thumbs up, and I would definitely recommend "Girl Overboard," by Justina Chen Headley.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

If you are looking for a rags-to-riches story, don't pick up GIRL OVERBOARD. On the other hand, if you are looking for a story about a rich girl struggling to be a normal, well-adjusted girl, than this one is for you. Syrah Cheng is the daughter of privilege. Her father, Ethan Cheng, made the cell phone what it is today. Her mother, Betty Cheng, is the queen of charity fundraising, and demands only the best. Unfortunately, all the splendor and wealth surrounding Syrah leave her feeling uncomfortable and unloved. Syrah's dream is to become a sponsored pro-snowboarder; however, a recent life-threatening accident has sidelined her with a bum knee. Her doctor says she is ready to resume normal activities and even some cautious snowboarding, but her globe-trotting parents have forbidden her participation in the only activity that makes her life worthwhile. She fills her days with school and manga drawings of a superheroine snowboarder named Shiraz. Not being able to snowboard is only the beginning of trouble for Syrah. Her best friend, Age, has a new girlfriend who doesn't believe there is room in their relationship for Syrah. Bao-mu, Syrah's dedicated nanny, has announced that she is leaving to go help her granddaughter with her new baby. And to top it all off, Ethan Cheng has announced his retirement and his intention to move the family to Hong Kong. There is never a dull moment in GIRL OVERBOARD. Syrah may seem about to give up on her dream, but she finds a way to combine her love of snowboarding with what she discovers are her many other assets, to help a new friend in need, and make her family proud of her. Author Justina Chen Headley shows her readers what truly lies beneath the glittery surface of a girl who has it all, but learns that family, friendship, and love can surprise us all. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Gutsy Girl Triumphs!

I know I am not the prime audience for which this book was written. I am many generations removed from the current youth this book was written for and about. Growing up before Title 9, I did not have the sport opportunities available to girls since that milestone legislation. Despite the lack of organized sports, I was a young female athlete, one who had set her sights on representing her country in the Olympics one day. At that time, I chose the Olympics because it was one of the only avenues available for women athletes to perform on a high level, at least those were my dreams until I tore my ACL at age 13 and had my world tossed upside down. And so, when I meet Syrah Cheng, up and coming snowboarder, who is trying to come back from the same potentially career threatening injury, my heart is with her all the way. I know the battles female athletes have fought and continue to fight even today and so does Justina Headley Chen, the author. Ms Headley, who says she conceived the novel as she was being trundled down a mountain by the ski patrol after having a similar accident may never have been an up and coming boarder but she knows well the struggles young girls face in our society. That is why she and several other talented YA authors have established "Readergirlz.com" a web community for "gutsy girls" wherever they may be and whatever their passions. "Girl Overboards' Syrah Cheng has many battles to fight as she struggles to find her niche in the world. Issues of sexism, classism, and cultural identity are all handled with delicacy and power. There are no simple solutions here. Syrah may have been born into a family with many privileges but living in the spotlight of media and community scrutiny only magnifies the struggle to live up to the image of the "perfect daughter". This image includes the struggle of meeting the unhealthy demands our societiy places on the perfect, female body as well As a young female athlete trying to build a body that can meet the demands of the sport she loves, Syrah must also deal with the expectations of both her mother and potential snowboarding sponsors, an image that Syrah has subconsciously accepted until she recognizes it herself. Which brings us to another wonderful element of the book, Syrah is also a budding illustrator and writer of Manga. In her Manga journal, Syrahs' alter ego Shiraz is able to fly high above the rest in her snowboarding exploits but also ends up teaching Syrah even more about herself. Which brings me to my only regret about the book. It would be fantastic if future editions of the book could contain some panels representing the journal. Manga is a very hot ticket and would attract a whole other segment of readers. Perhaps there could even be a graphic novel/Manga spinoff or series based on the characters? This is a compelling read which will speak to many girls and young women. If you have a "gutsy girl" in your life get the book for her today! She won't b

Get This Girl

There are plenty of books - and movies too, for that matter - which focus on athletes training for the big game or competition, only to have accidents! injuries! obstacles! interfere in act three. Luckily, they tend to pull through and win the championship or gold medal, and everyone lives happily ever after. Right? Thankfully, GIRL OVERBOARD by Justina Chen Headley is more thoughtful and less predictable than those stories. Instead of striving for the win, GIRL OVERBOARD encourages readers to strive for their personal truths. For Syrah Cheng, recovering from a snowboarding accident and overcoming self-doubt is just as difficult as climbing back up that mountain. Syrah is the daughter of a self-made billionaire whose face is splashed on the covers of magazines and newspapers. Her mother is dutiful and strict, and her older half-siblings, with lives and careers of their own, are distant. Syrah doesn't want to just be thought of as somebody's daughter - she wants to make a name for herself in her own way. While nursing her injured knee, Syrah begins visiting kids in the hospital whose injuries and illnesses are more life-threatening than hers. When she was snowboarding, Syrah felt free and powerful. She now finds solace in scribbling in her manga journal, but it can't compare to actually hitting the slopes - or to confessing something that happened to her last year that she hasn't told a soul. As the story continues, she learns something unexpected about her family which make her look at her parents differently, and she attempts to bond with her older brother and sister with varying levels of success. Finally, she thinks of a way to give back to the community while bringing attention to an important cause. A charity snowboarding event brings her back to the place where she has to confront what happened to her, both physically and emotionally. GIRL OVERBOARD is an engrossing story not only about overcoming personal injuries, but accepting your family and yourself. Readers will hopefully walk away with the urge to give back to their own communities and to try something new that they've always wanted to do!