A wickedly funny and life-affirming coming-of-age road trip story – winner of France’s biggest prize for teen and YA fiction

Mireille, Astrid and Hakima have just been voted the three ugliest girls in school by their classmates on Facebook. But does that mean they’re going to sit around crying about it?…

Well, maybe a little, but not for long! Climbing onto their bikes, the friends set off on a summer roadtrip to Paris. The girls will find fame, friendship and happiness on their journey, and still have time to eat a mountain of food (and drink the odd glass of wine) along the way. But will they really be able to leave all their troubles behind?

Piglettes is a hilarious, beautiful and uplifting story of three girls who are determined not to let online bullying get them down.

Author & Translator
Clémentine Beauvais (born 1989) is a French children’s author living in the UK. She started reading children’s books early, and somehow never stopped. Now she writes her own, in both French and English, for a variety of ages, and is a lecturer in English and Education at the University of York. Piglettes won four prizes in France, including the biggest children’s book prize, the Prix Sorcières. Film and stage versions are also in production.

PRAISE

“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

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

“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

Piglettes
Clementine Beauvais
Translated from the French by the author
2017, Pushkin Press
ISBN: 9781782691204