Moxie

If Vivian Carter hears one more obnoxious teen boy in her school tell a girl to make them a sandwich, or some other sexist, silencing comment, she’s going to scream. Worse, the misogynistic culture at her school seems to be ignored and even enabled by the headteacher.

One day, when Viv finds feminist Riot Grrrl zines in her mum’s wardrobe, she’s inspired to make her own: Moxie. But Viv has no idea when she begins to distribute them anonymously that they will have such an effect on her friendships, the school and her love life.

This essential addition to the current (and very welcome) wave of feminist books for teens takes its inspiration from the influential Riot Grrrl movement inspired by icon Kathleen Hanna and her band Bikini Kill. Along with music, one of Riot Grrrl’s favoured modes of resistance against sexism was zine-making, adopting the punk DIY ethos to make subversive, handmade publications. Jennifer Mathieu expertly takes the Riot Grrrl aesthetic and philosophy and translates it into a modern story for teens who are, unfortunately, still experiencing the misogyny that Hanna and her compatriots fought in the 90s.

The book does contain swearing, in keeping with the rebellious spirit of the Riot Grrrl movement.