Dreams of Significant Girls

The “power of sisterhood and female friendships shine” (Publishers Weekly) in this boarding school novel that spans continents and delves deep with maturity and grace.

Shirin is an Iranian princess; Ingrid, a German-Canadian eccentric; and Vivien, a Cuban-Jewish New Yorker culinary phenom. The three are roommates at a Swiss boarding school, where they spend their summers learning more than French and European culture. As the girls’ paths cross and merge—summers together, school years separate—they navigate social and cultural differences and learn the confusing and conflicting legacies of their families’ pasts. In the spirit of sisterhood and friendship, Shirin, Ingrid, and Vivien grow together even when they are apart, forming unbreakable bonds along the way.

Cristina García is the author of eight novels including Dreaming in Cuban, The Agüero Sisters, Monkey Hunting, A Handbook to Luck, The Lady Matador’s Hotel, King of Cuba, Here in Berlin, and Vanishing Maps. Her work has been nominated for a National Book Award and translated into fifteen languages. She has taught at universities nationwide and is currently Resident Playwright at Central Works Theater in Berkeley. Visit her website at CristinaGarciaNovelist.com. 

ISBN: 9781416979302
Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published: May 22, 2012

"[A] standout coming-of-age novel. The girls' personal awakenings feel organic, and the narrative handles mature themes well, including abortion, family connections to Nazis, and sexual awakenings. García's boarding school setting feels vibrantly alive [and] the power of sisterhood and female friendships shine." --Publishers Weekly, starred review "At a posh Swiss summer boarding school in 1971, three very different girls share their problems and dreams.Each voice is wholly individual, as are their disparate approaches to the impending freedoms and perils of adulthood. Loosely analogous to Ann Brashares’s “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” (Delacorte) and Zoey Dean’s “A-List” series (Little, Brown), this title is more mature and subtle than merely a rich-chick friendship story. [A] title that many mature young women will appreciate" --School Library Journal "This beautifully written bildungsroman alternates between the three girls’ voices and gives the reader an appreciation for the various historical and cultural challenges each girl faces. The struggle for significance will appeal to thoughtful readers, and the luxuriant setting will make this easy to sell to fans of both Gemma Doyle and The Gossip Girls." --Booklist "Dreams of Significant Girls takes you breathlessly and painfully back to the time when womanhood shimmered before you, always just out of reach, and you lunged for it, stupidly and bravely, with your first cigarette, your first kiss, your first swill of liquor, your first boy crush and your first girl crush." --New York Times Book Review