• Age: 14 to 18
• Grade: 9 to 12
• Reading age: 7 to 10

Ever since Ariel's mom has been too sick to work they've been moving to progressively lower income neighbourhoods. Then they seem to hit rock bottom--Vancouver's downtown east side, Canada's poorest postal code. Here Ariel gets on the wrong side of a gang of tough girls at school after receiving unwanted attention from their boyfriends. Now she's stuck with a reputation and a label she doesn't know how to deal with.

Teresa McWhirter grew up in Kimberley, in the East Kootenays of interior BC. She received a BA with a double major in English and Creative Writing from the University of Victoria. After extensive travel across the Canada and the US, her first novel, Some Girls Do, was published by Raincoast/Polestar books (2002). Following an assortment of jobs, including teaching English in Korea, driving an ice cream truck, and scaring children at a haunted house, she published the novel Dirtbags (Anvil Press, 2007) and the young adult novel Skank (Lorimer, 2011). During the past few years Teresa has toured Europe and North America with punk rock bands, gathering material for Five Little Bitches. She lives in East Vancouver.

Teresa McWhirter's profile page

"...every aspect of Skank feels authentic and will be eye-opening for teens living in other parts of the country. Its straighforward language makes this a good pick for reluctant readers."

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"This stark, convincing portrait of a girl struggling to live in a tough neighborhood should appeal to teens looking for realism... McWhirter paints an uncompromising portrait of her characters and their neighborhood... Sensitive and effective, this small, short book is explicitly aimed at reluctant readers; if they pick it up, they will find some fine writing within."

Kirkus Reviews (U.S.)

"McWhirter has crafted a fine story with well-defined female characters, compelling conflicts, and strongly evoked communal bonds... Skank makes an engrossing, worthwile read for teens and adults alike."

subTerrain, No. 59

"...the story is well-developed and paced. The characters, particularly Ariel, are realistically portrayed, and ... while the author is making the text accessible to reluctant readers, she is not talking down to them while doing so... Skank is an engaging read and provides some great discussion points."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials